To Destroy a Second Chance
by BlueRowley
Summary: After Harry mistakenly reveals to his father, Severus Snape, that a second reality had existed prior to the Second Chances Reality, Harry finds himself thrown back into the previous world. What's worse, Harry has upset the time continuum, and in order to correct itself, the ones who don't belong must die. Will Harry find a way back to his beloved reality, or will he die trying?
1. Chapter 1

This is a take-off of the story To Have a Second Chance, however, it can be read as an individual story, but reading the first will make it a bit easier to follow along.

Disclaimer: do not own Harry Potter

* * *

He sat against the wall and pulled his knees to his chest. He had thought he knew Hogwarts well, but in this reality, four-year-old Harry Snape had no idea where he was. Now, he was completely lost and Snape was probably looking for him. What if no one ever finds me? It was a childish thought, but it brought tears to his eyes. Cursing his childish instincts once more, Harry began crying softly, burying his face in his arms.

"There now, child. What happens to be the matter? Are you lost?" Came a voice from above.

Harry looked up and saw Albus Dumbledore. He stopped crying and simply stared at the man. Dumbledore seemed to recognize him.

"Harry, did you get separated from your father? I'm sure he is very worried about you. Come, let me return you to him." Dumbledore held out his hand for Harry to take.

"Headmaster, you have to understand, I'm not from here!" Harry explained, standing up. "I'm Harry Potter, not Snape!"

Dumbledore had a pensieve look on his face.

"You have to believe me, sir!" Harry insisted. "I was at some bar, and I must have fallen asleep after drinking so much, and when I woke up, I was in some kid's bed. And then Snape . . . and Sirius is alive . . . and Hogwarts and . . ." Harry realized he wasn't making any sense, so he said, "I have no idea what happened, but I have to get back to my reality. Surely you can help me?"

"Harry, hush," Albus said. "You're talking utter nonsense. Let's go to my office and sort this confusion out."

Not knowing what else to say to make Dumbledore understand, Harry reluctantly followed the Headmaster. Once in his office, which turned out to be down a hall, up a stairway and around the corner, Dumbledore had Harry take a seat in front of his desk. Sitting down himself, Dumbledore started talking.

"Let me just cut to the point. You see, before I died in your universe, I had been working on an experiment. Creating another world that would offer everyone who truly wished it a second chance. You know, a second chance at starting over and making better choices. Choices that would have changed how fate worked out."

"Wait, if this reality gives everyone a second chance, where are my parents?" Harry asked.

"Well, if Severus had been given a second chance at making things right, along with the rest of the Marauders, that friendship he had with your mother would have grown stronger, and he would have been the first to propose to Lily. This could have been the case in your old reality too."

"Then, where is she? I didn't see her yesterday. And if Snape's my dad, where's James?"

"I see you're not to be distracted. Tom Riddle, if given a second chance still craved power. Like you, James Potter sacrificed himself to kill Voldemort and rid this world of him before you were even born. However, he died in the process, though he is seen as a hero. Lily, on the other hand, whether given a second chance or not, died of a hereditary disease a few months before your second birthday. Some things in life are just destined to be." Dumbledore looked sadly at Harry. Harry pondered over this new information.

"So either way, I still would have never met my parents. That doesn't seem fair."

"Look at it this way Harry. You have the chance to experience a life free of Voldemort, with a father and uncles who love you, aunts, Aunt Petunia specifically, who adore you, and you can still have the friends you did in your other reality." So Aunt Petunia had a second chance as well. Who knew she would have wished for one. Maybe he could get used to this world. By the way Dumbledore was talking, there was no way out.

"There's one thing you should know about this world, Harry. No one can know that this is an alternate universe. My guess is that you know because your magic is so powerful it enabled you to keep your memories. If anyone else were to find out, it would disrupt their magic, bring back their alternate memories, forcing them to switch realities and everything would return to normal. And I'm sure you don't want to go back to that depressed man in the bar, now do you?"

Harry shook his head. That was definitely the last thing he wanted. To live in sorrow and regret of all those who passed in the war.

Harry vowed that he'd never reveal the alternate reality. He didn't want to miss out on the chance of a happy childhood, loved and cared for by an adoring parent.

No one will ever know of the second reality.

No one . . .


	2. Eleven Years Later

Fifteen-year-old Harry stormed out of Gryffindor tower and headed for his father's quarters in the dungeons. It was Friday evening and he had detention with **_her_** again. Harry was thinking that if he could at least convince his father that the detention was unfair, then the man could get him out of going later that night. Hermione warned him not to make things worse, Ron just agreed with everything he said. His friends did little to soothe his temper however, a characteristic Harry knew came from the Snape side of the family. Harry arrived at his father's quarters in minutes and he roughly pushed the door open. Before he could slam it shut, however, he heard his father's voice.

"Slam that door and you'll be fixing and staining it the muggle way."

Harry took a deep breath and slowly shut the door, letting it close on its own when it was nearly shut. He found his father in the study.

Severus looked up from his desk where he was busy grading papers. He frowned.

"Before you begin your infamous tantrum, I was hoping we could have a quiet discussion of today's events over a nice, hot cup of tea," Severus warned.

"I wasn't going to throw a tantrum," Harry growled. "And I have detention with **_her_** tonight, so you can just forget about the tea."

"Her," Severus's frown deepened into a glare, "has a name. And whatever Professor Umbridge gave you detention for was more than likely deserved. If she –"

"She accused me of lying!" Harry nearly whined.

"Did you?" Severus asked.

"No! I did the homework. I just . . . misplaced it. But that doesn't mean I didn't do it! I asked her if I could give it to her later or if I could even run back to my dorm and find it and she said that all I wanted to do was borrow someone else's homework to copy because there's no way I have it done. She said that, for lying, she's giving me a detention! Any other teacher would have let me because I rarely forget my homework, but no, that bi-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence or you'll be eating soap, young man," Severus threatened. "I don't care how mad you are at her, you do not address a professor or anyone that way, do you hear me?"

Harry said nothing. He seethed where he stood, trying not to become too frustrated with his father.

"I don't understand why you can't just go to her detention. It would just be easier to –"

"It's not a fair detention! I didn't do what she accused me of!"

"Harry," Severus growled, "lower your voice. Regardless of whether you did what she accused you of or not, she is still a professor and you will –"

"So now I can get in trouble for nothing!" Harry was furious now. "You're just like the other professors, always sticking up for each other. You're always right, the student's always wrong. You –"

"Stop interrupting me!" Severus slammed his hand down on the table as he stood up. Harry took a cautious step back. Severus was still taller than him by a head or so. "If you don't calm yourself down, I'll drug you with a calming draught and assign you a couple 'unfair' detentions myself."

"You know what, never mind, Dad! I don't have time for this. And I'm not attending that detention with that stupid toad either!"

Harry turned and left his father's study, slamming the door behind him. He was just reaching for the door to leave when a hand grabbed his upper arm.

"What did I tell you about slamming doors." Severus growled as he dragged his son to the living room, forcing the boy to sit in one of the chairs. "And you just earned yourself a mouthwash. And you will be attending the detention if I have to drag you there myself."

Harry felt his father grab a hold of his chin, the tip of the ebony wand pressing against his lips. Harry pulled his head away and pushed against his father, trying hard to stand and shove past him. Severus put his wand away and grabbed Harry's wrists and pushed down, using his height and heavier build to push Harry back into the chair.

"Stop this, now, Harry."

Harry tried to push against his father, but found himself slowly lowering back into the chair.

"Let me go!"

"You need to calm down this instant!"

"I hate you!"

"Will you just sit down? Stop fighting me."

"No. Let me go. I hate you!"

"Yes, you've said that."

"I mean it. I hate you as much as I did in that stupid, old reality!"

"You know you don't mean – what did you say? Old reality?"

"Yes. Where you were a greasy git who gave unfair detentions just like Umbridge. And you hated me just because I looked like my father! I hate you just like I hated him!"

"I think a calming draught is definitely in order. You sound insane."

"It's true!"

"Stop fighting me, son! Sit down!"

Harry fell back into the chair. Even more furious now at being overpowered, Harry looked at his father's hands gripping his wrists. Leaning forward in a last desperate attempt, Harry bit down on one of his father's wrists. He heard Severus hiss and the hands released him.

However, before he could jump to his feet and run for the door, a hand slapped his cheek.

Tears sprang to Harry's eyes as the stinging took several seconds to fade.

Harry leaned back in the chair, his head still turned to the right. The anger he had in him had dissipated. He felt his father's gentle hands take a hold of his chin and turned his head to face him, tilting it upward. Harry stared into the warm, coal eyes.

"I can't believe you bit me," Severus said softly. "You're fifteen years old, Harry."

Harry said nothing and just allowed his father's scolding words wash over him, bidding away whatever remained of his temper.

"Before either of us says or does something we'll regret, I believe it might be best if you go to your room. I need to cool off and you need to think about your behavior. Go on. To your room."

Harry stood and quietly walked past his father and into his bedroom where he had slept when he lived in his father's quarters as a child. He laid down on his bed, rubbing slightly at his warm cheek before burying his face in a pillow and screaming into it. He wasn't as angry at his father as he had been before, but it felt good to release a bit of emotion into something. He rested his head on the pillow and simply laid there, waiting for either his father to come and talk to him or for his detention time.

* * *

Severus collapsed into the chair that Harry had just vacated. It was becoming harder to control his son when the boy threw a fit. He would have to work with Harry more on anger management and meditation techniques. Perhaps Sam could help with that. The three tailed kitsune that had come to live with them as a protector when Harry was nine knew several harmless ways to deal with anger, if the fox wasn't in a temper either, at least.

Severus closed his eyes in thought.

 _Old reality_ , Harry had said, _old reality._

Severus frowned, his eyes still closed.

 _"Potter, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"_

 _Severus was confused. He was in his potions classroom with a room full of students. He recognized Draco and a few other slytherin children, but everyone else was unfamiliar. He found himself glaring at a young boy who had a striking resemblance to James Potter, an enemy turned friend back when he was in Hogwarts. Who was this boy? A relative of James? Why was he yelling at the boy?_

 _A little girl with bushy hair sitting next to him raised her hand. He ignored her, as he usually did with students who seemed to know answers._

 _"I don't know, sir," the James look-alike finally said._

 _"Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything," Severus felt himself sneer. "Let's try again, Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"_

 _The little girl stretched her hand higher up in the air. She reminded Severus of his son's friend, Hermione._

 _"I don't know, sir," the boy said again._

 _"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming to class, eh, Potter?" Severus heard himself growl. Severus wasn't sure why he sounded so sinister. Usually, he fired questions at unsuspecting students to teach that preparing for class was important, however, berating this particular boy almost felt . . . personal. "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"_

 _That little bushy haired child was out of her seat reaching for the ceiling now._

 _"I don't know," the boy almost whispered, "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"_

 _Severus grew annoyed at the laughter that broke out in the room. No one dared to challenge him in his class, except his son, so why this little boy felt the need was unacceptable. Severus opened his mouth to berate and correct the child . . ._

Severus's eyes flew open and he shot out of the chair, backing away from it, his breaths short and heavy.

What did it mean? Had Harry been right? Was there another reality out there? Had he possibly lived another life? No, that was absurd; it couldn't possibly be real. Not true. Severus tried to recollect his thoughts. His head was pounding, the pressure sending shocks of pain through his body and he closed his eyes in pain.

 _"Fight back!" A boy screamed at him. It appeared to be the same little one from earlier, but an older version. "Fight back, you cowardly –"_

 _"Coward, did you call me, Potter?" Severus heard himself shout back. "Your father would never attack me unless it was four on one, what would you call him, I wonder?"_

 _Was he talking about James? Would that make this boy James son? What was happening? Hogwarts looked in chaos behind the James kid and Hagrid's hut was on fire, a dog yelping and howling from within._

 _"Stupe –" The kid was getting ready to curse him. Severus naturally blocked it._

 _"Blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!" Severus felt himself sneer. Occlumency? Did the boy even know how to perform such complicated mind control? Who were these people around him? They looked like . . . Death Eaters!_

 _Severus heard himself calling out to these Death Eaters, willing them to hurry before the ministry arrived. Was he with them? He was just a kid when the battles were going on, still in Hogwarts._

 _The kid was talking again, ready to fire another curse._

 _"Impedi –"_

 _Severus watched as a Death Eater cursed the boy from behind, causing him to fall to the ground and quiver in pain._

 _"No!" Snape shouted. "Have you forgotten our orders? Potter belongs to the Dark Lord – we are to leave him! Go! Go!"_

 _Severus heard the boy prepare to fire more curses. He recognized all the curses, the ones he created, and the boy dared to use his inventions on him. Severus deflected all of them easily and berated the boy for even thinking of using them against their creator, something the boy's father would do and had done._

 _The boy stared at him, his face heartbroken yet filled with rage._

 _"Kill me then," he panted, "kill me like you killed him, you coward –"_

 _"Don't call me coward!" Severus heard himself scream with a rage he'd long forgotten he had. He murdered someone? Who? Why? Snape prepared to fire a curse to inflict pain on the boy . . ._

"No – stop!" Severus shouted at himself as his eyes flew open and he stumbled backwards and fell to the ground in his own living room. He back crawled until his sweat covered back was against the cold wall. He took in heavy breaths, his hands clenching hair, pulling tightly to somehow match the burning pain in his head. He closed his eyes tightly to fight against the searing pressure, trying to occlude his mind as he felt another assaulting memory he didn't understand nor had any idea existed.

* * *

"No – Stop!"

Harry's head shot up as he heard his father's voice. What was the man doing? Who was he saying no to and telling to stop?

Harry jumped out of bed and ran to his door but paused before opening it.

Would his father be angry at him for leaving his room?

Harry decided he would just be honest and explain that he just wanted to make sure his father was alright. Opening the door, Harry slowly walked into the living room. Harry found Severus on the floor with his hands holding his head, back against the wall.

"Dad?" Harry asked cautiously. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Severus's eyes flew open and the man glared at Harry. The coal eyes were darker and colder than before.

"What did you call me, Potter?" Severus growled.

Harry gasped and backed away as Severus stood to his feet and approached him, the glare only deepening. Severus roughly grabbed Harry's arm and shoved him against the wall, pinning his shoulder to keep him still.

"You have precisely ten seconds to explain to me what you are doing in my personal quarters before I drag you to the Headmaster and see you expelled for invasion of a professor's privacy."

"Dad, it's me," Harry cried, "I'm your son. I live here with you."

"Are you trying to insult me, Potter?" Severus growled. "How dare you insinuate that I am as lowly and pathetic as your father was. What are you doing in my quarters? Answer me and do not even think about lying to me!"

Severus slammed his free hand on the wall beside Harry's head, the noise startling Harry. Remembering some defense training he had had with Severus and Sam, Harry kneed his father in the stomach. Before Severus could get over the shock, Harry pushed him back and slipped away from the wall. Severus's eyes had closed for a few seconds as he stumbled back and when he opened them, the eyes were no longer dark looking. Severus looked at Harry and winced.

"Harry, I – I'm sorry," Severus looked pained, "I don't know what came over me. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, Dad," Harry said, walking towards his father, "Are you okay?"

"Don't!" Severus held a hand out and backed away, keeping Harry from coming any closer to him. "Don't come near me. I don't want to hurt you. Just – stay. Stay there."

Harry gulped.

"Do you need anything? A potion? Water?"

"No, just don't – yes, water. Get me some water – please. Good boy."

Harry ran to the kitchen and grabbed a cup from the cupboard. What was happening to his father? Why had the man called him Potter?

Harry remembered their argument and dropped the glass cup to the floor and it shattered.

 _I hate you as much as I did in that stupid, old reality!_

He had revealed to his father that there was a second reality. _Bring back their alternate memories_ , Harry remembered Albus telling him when he was four. His father was remembering his alternate self.

Perhaps that would be all that happened. A whole world couldn't just disappear by a couple words, could it? Harry put a little hope in himself that this was stoppable and all his father needed was some water and perhaps a couple potions. And maybe a memory charm. Could he obliviate the argument they had had earlier.

Harry grabbed another cup and held it under the faucet. As he was filling it at the sink, a white mist flew into the kitchen and solidified into Sam on the counter. The fox was normal sized now, though he looked very concerned, the black tips of his ears were pivoted back and the white tips of his tails twitched.

 _: What happened?_ Sam spoke through telepathy. _Everything seems tense in here. I sense a dark power._

"I screwed up, Sam," Harry said. "I told Dad about the second reality. I didn't mean to, I swear. I was so angry earlier and he wasn't being fair and . . . I don't know. I really screwed up though."

For some reason, Sam was the only other person, or creature, besides Albus that knew and remembered the alternate universe they had lived.

 _: Calm down, Harry_ , Sam said. _Perhaps there's a way to stop whatever is about to happen. The world hasn't ended yet. Maybe we just need to . . ._

There was a loud crash in the living room. Harry dropped the cup in the sink and ran out to check on his father.

Severus was sitting on the ground, holding his head once more, his eyes shut tightly. A side desk had been knocked into and books were scattered on the ground. A leg had broken off the small desk.

"Dad?" Harry slowly approached his father. "Are you okay? Dad?"

When Harry was right in front of Severus, the man's eyes flew open, dark, cold, and inhuman.

In the next second, Harry was flying across the room and he crashed brutally into the wall. When the stars cleared from Harry's eyes, he saw Severus standing with the ebony wand fixed on him. Severus slowly stalked forward, his eyes unrecognizing and determined.

"Dad!" Harry called to him, pressing his back in to the wall, tears in his eyes. "Please, snap out of it. Dad – stop-please!"

Severus was in front of Harry now and angling his wand to Harry's chest.

Sam, now the size of a large wolf, jumped between Harry and Severus, the white tips of his three tails blazing with foxfire. He snarled at the man before releasing a jet of flames from his mouth. Severus quickly back stepped away and out of reach of the flames. Sam stood protectively in front of Harry, snarling and flicking his fiery tails in warning.

From where he stood, the dark eyes still holding know remembrance, Severus fired a spell. There was a spark of familiar white light – a spell Harry knew was of his father's creation.

Deep, long wounds slashed at Sam's chest, neck, and face. The fire died from the fox as the animal dropped to the ground, rolling and thrashing, screaming – a sound Harry had never heard the fox make. It was like nails on a chalkboard and Harry watched in horror as his friend changed from a fox red to a blood red. The fox finally stopped thrashing and laid limp on the ground, the color fading from his eyes.

"Sam!" Harry cried.

He crawled over to the fox and cradled the lifeless body. Sam began to glow and shimmer static like, resembling TV static. Then, Sam's body disappeared from Harry's arm. Harry stared down at the blood stains on his arm, wondering what had happened. He felt a foreboding presence above him and looked up.

Severus stood over him with his wand ready to fire another spell.

"Daddy," Harry cried, tears falling from his eyes. But the man did not know him. This man was not his father. It was still worth a try to somehow get through to him, to reach the Severus Harry had come to know and love.

"Daddy, please. Remember me. Remember who you are. Don't do this."

Severus never said a word. There was another flash of white light and Harry felt a horrible pressure on his chest and face. The last thing he saw was the dark and cold blackness of his father's eyes.

* * *

"Sir?"

"Sir!?"

"Come on, sir, wake up!"

Harry heard the stranger's voice and slowly opened his eyes. His head was pounding and he was dying of thirst. He was slouched over at some table with several, empty firewhiskey bottles around him. The pressure in his head made it feel ten times heavier as he slowly lifted it up.

"About time, sir," a young man said from behind the bar counter. "I was starting to think that you were dead. I'm surprised you're not with how much you drank. Do you need someone to apparate you home? You know it's dangerous to be drinking and apparating."

Harry ignored the man and looked around. He was in a bar. Hog's Head to be precise. There was no one else around and judging from the light outside, it was early in the morning if it wasn't still dawn.

"Sir?" Harry looked at the man behind the bar. "Are you okay? You don't look all there."

Harry stared at him for a moment.

 _I'm back in the original reality. No. I can't believe it. What have I done?_

Harry stood from his seat and left the counter he was at.

"What, no tip for keeping you alive?" The man behind the counter called after him.

Harry stumbled to the door. He looked out into the village of Hogsmeade. He just stared out from the doorway.

He had ruined everything. His second chance. He was back in a world where everyone was dead. His Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus, Albus Dumbledore. Aunt Petunia was the unchanged, magic hating woman in this world. Sam. From what Harry remembered, the last thing Sam had done in this reality had landed him in hot water with dangerous men who set out to kill him. If Harry remembered correctly, the men had hung Sam in some kind of forest and threw a knife at him.

Even if Harry had somehow escaped alcohol poisoning, there was no way for Sam to possibly escape his death. Fate wasn't that kind. His friend, Sam, was dead in this reality.

And so was his father. His hated professor in this world, but his loving and adoring father in the Second Chances reality. Severus Snape was dead. And to think: the last thing he said to his father was 'I hate you.' And now, he was gone.

Everyone was gone.

"Hey, mate!" A familiar voice called to him. "I've been looking for you! Were you here all night? You had my sister worrying about you."

Harry only saw Ron Weasley's face for a second before he collapsed and the world went dark.

* * *

Well, what do you think?


	3. Not the Same

Thank you guys for the reviews! They are always encouraging. Here's the next chapter.

* * *

His head was pounding and his throat felt constricted as he slowly opened his eyes. Sam briefly wondered where he was and why he was in human form before the constricting feeling around his throat hurt even more. He saw white before he clawed at his throat, clenching at the rope around it. He remembered.

Harry had said that he had mistakenly revealed to Severus Snape that there had been a preexisting reality. Now, he (and Harry, probably) was back in the previous timeline.

In this world, Sam had taken care of a dangerous task, eliminating the blueprints of a nuclear weapon and wiping the creator's mind. However, he had made the mistake of sleeping with a general's daughter, who had willingly helped him and sought him out one night, but Sam finished his job and left her heartbroken. She accused him of rape and her father demanded that he be murdered to retain honor to the family.

The father and his men had tracked Sam down and beat him senseless before hanging him. The last thing he remembered was his own knife being thrown at him.

He was alone in the foggy, eerie forest that was hardly lit by the dawn sunlight, the several men gone, but he was still hanging in a tree and if he didn't escape soon, he would die from strangulation.

Sam struggled against the rope at his neck. He had to be about ten feet above the ground. He used his hands to pull at the rope while pulling himself up a bit so his neck wasn't resting on the rope. He gasped for air and tried to keep his head up.

He felt something wet trickling down the side of his head. The pain in his head told him it was blood. The knife! It must have grazed the side of his head. Sam turned himself to look behind him, using his entire body to swing the rope around while keeping his hands on the rope at his neck and keeping his head up.

He saw the knife embedded in the tree he was tied to. He was close to the main trunk of the tree. Perfect, he thought.

His arms were starting to burn and he lowered himself back on the rope for a brief rest. The pain quickly returned to his head and around his throat. He gave his arms a few seconds before pulling on the rope again and pulling his head up and off the rope a bit. It really wasn't by much, probably a centimeter, but it was the difference of how hard the rope cut at the crucial veins in his neck.

Sam eyed the knife and swung his body to reach for it. He used his legs to run up the main trunk a bit, hoping his bare feet would wrap around the knife's handle. The first try, he barely reached the knife and his legs swung back down. It took him about four run ups until he got his feet wrapped around the knife.

Sam kept himself there while he pulled at the rope more, the angle allowing for more constriction. He used one hand to pull at the rope while he searched the back of his neck with the other hand. He found the slip knot and tried to push it back. It took a moment and his eyes were seeing black spots, his head starting to pound furiously, when the knot slid back a few centimeters. It would go no further, so Sam refocused on retrieving the knife after allowing the pain to fade from his head and neck.

Sam began pulling on the knife, using as much strength as he could. The knife slowly slipped out of the tree. It was almost free when . . .

Dammit! Sam thought as he lost his grip and his legs swung away from the tree.

He clenched at the rope as he felt the slip knot tighten again. Sam pulled at the rope, pushing with the back of his neck at the slip knot to loosen it back to where it was. He gasped for air and looked at the tree.

The knife had not fallen, but it looked dangerously close to doing so. Sam breathed and started swinging for the tree again. He managed to grip the knife on his second try running up the tree. He pulled at the handle once more and felt himself swing as the knife pulled free.

Sam held on to the knife with his feet tightly as he swung away from the tree. He tensed his muscles to stop himself. He readjusted the rope around his neck, panting for air as the slip knot tightened once more.

Sam reached back and pushed on the slip knot. It would not go back as far as it had the first couple of times. The constricting feeling around his neck felt worse now. He would have to be quick. Sam swallowed and breathed before he pulled his feet towards his mouth.

He kept one hand on the slip knot and the other pulling at the rope as he tried to get his feet close enough to bite the knife. The rope tightened regardless of his efforts and the knife never came close to his face. After two attempts, Sam had to readjust the rope and breathe once more.

He didn't have much choice now. He would have to use his arm to make up the distance. He would have to let go of something.

Sam kept pulling at the rope and pushing on the slip knot. He remained in that position for a couple minutes, just breathing. Finally, he brought his feet towards his face and let go of the slip knot to reach for the knife.

The pain instantly returned to his neck as he leaned forward a bit to reach. His eyes and head burned but he managed to grab his knife's blade, pricking himself slightly. He instantly readjusted the rope, pulling on it with his free hand and pushing up with his head to breath. His arms were burning from the work out.

After a minute or so, Sam reached up and began cutting the rope above him. He had trouble pulling on the rope at his neck, pulling himself up, and cutting the rope with the knife in an awkward position, all at the same time. The constricting feeling at his neck returned. The pounding of his head came rushing back. His eyes started seeing spots of colors and he closed them tightly. He was beginning to feel dizzy, ready to blackout at any moment.

And then he was falling.

Sam hit the ground harshly, but he ripped the rope off his neck and inhaled hoarsely. He laid on the ground and just breathed, free of the impending death that had, only seconds ago, been upon him.

It took Sam several moments to return his breathing to normal. He looked around, recognizing Aokigahara Forest, Suicide Forest, of Japan.

Sam felt a surge of a heartache rush over him. It burned, reminding him that in this world, he had no family, no sister, no nothing. He had never met the Snapes in this reality. He had to return to the Second Chances Reality. He hated his life here. And honestly, why couldn't he die and stay dead?

A new pain caught his attention. Sam looked down and noticed the stab wound in his lower, right abdomen. It had somehow stopped bleeding during the night. He would have to treat it later, though it may need stitches. The wound had the potential to start bleeding at any moment. He must not have noticed it before while he was struggling to free himself.

Otherwise, he had several, minor cuts, bruises, and very shallow puncture wounds. He felt at his neck, feeling the wound around his neck where the rope had dug in. It would scar later, but would be fine, for now.

Sam rolled over and looked around the forest floor. He picked up his knife and felt around for his necklace. It had to be around somewhere, those men had thrown it aside when they had cut it off him.

Sam found the dragon tooth necklace, an object of dark and dangerous power, or magic – in wizard terminology. He held the broken leather straps together and used his mind to mend them. He slipped the necklace over his head.

Sam stripped off his clothes and shifted into a wolf-sized fox. The shift agitated his wounds, but nothing started bleeding.

His plan: find Harry Snape.

From what he remembered, Severus Snape had died in this reality, as did Albus Dumbledore, the wizard that had created the Second Chances Reality. However, Harry Snape, or Potter, whatever the boy's name was in this reality, had to still be alive. If he had managed to escape a murder, then surely fate would overlook alcohol poisoning. He would be in England somewhere, and if not, Scotland. He would find Harry, however. They needed to return to the other reality.

Sam felt a strange tingling feeling on his three tails. He looked back at them, wanting to scratch at them with his teeth. He froze when he saw his tails shimmering, static-like, reminding him of TV static. The strange shimmering stopped after several seconds. Sam wondered what had happened, but decided not to dwell on it long. He had to go.

Sam shook out his fur before he misted and flew through the air, using his mind to bring his tanto along, the knife floating at his side.

* * *

Harry groaned as he opened his eyes. He was greeted by a white room – everything was white, the beds, the sheets, the walls. He looked down at himself and noted that he was in a hospital gown. Harry figured he was at St. Mungo's.

"I think he's coming to," a deep voice said above him.

"Go get the healer," said a softer voice.

Running footsteps echoed in the room. Harry rubbed at his head before looking over at Ginny and Hermione. A blurry Ginny sat on the edge of the bed, her face contorted in a concerned look, while a blurry Hermione stood by the bed looking down at him. Harry blinked as he tried to focus his eyes before rubbing at them. He remembered that in this reality, he had poor eyesight, though he had gotten used to not wearing glasses.

"Here, Harry," he heard Ginny say.

Knowing what she was probably doing, Harry held out a hand and accepted his glasses. He put them on, the feeling strange after years of not wearing any. Well, in the Second Chances Reality anyway.

"What were you thinking, Harry!" Hermione scolded. "Drinking like that in one night! Are you trying to kill yourself!"

"You don't understand," it was the first thing Harry thought to say.

"No, I don't," Hermione huffed, "explain it to me."

"I was just . . ." Harry tried to remember why he had drank like that before he ended up in the new world. It slowly came back to him. "I was . . . upset and mourning still."

"Maybe you need therapy," Ginny suggested, patting Harry's hand gently. "I can look for you, but –"

"No, Ginny," Harry groaned. A shrink, just what he needed. Fantastic. "I'm find now."

"Are you?" Hermione challenged. "I think therapy is a fine idea, Ginny, it wouldn't hurt in the least."

Before Harry could protest, Ron walked in with a healer behind him.

"Mr. Potter," the healer smiled, walking over to him.

I'm going to need to readjust to hearing Potter instead of Snape, Harry thought.

"I see you are up and lively," the healer continued, peering into Harry's eyes. "Are you feeling dizzy at all? Headache? Like you may want to vomit?"

Harry shook his head.

"I'm not seeing any signs of a hangover," the healer listened to Harry's heart rate and breathing before waving a wand over him. "Impressive, really. It looks like you slept off the alcohol - and whatever else remained, your slight concussion took care of. Let me tell you, though, you had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.36. I, at the very least, expected you to be vomiting, but it seems you are okay."

"Pure luck, if you ask me," Hermione said.

"You'll need to eat lightly, of course," the healer continued, ignoring Hermione. "Drink lots of fluids and when I say fluids, I mean water. Lots of it."

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

"I recommend that you don't self apparate or floo alone until, at the least, tomorrow morning. Just try and rest for today. Go home, sleep, eat something light and easy on the stomach, drink water, and by tomorrow – I think you should be good to go. There's not much I need to do for you, you don't need any potions, but I'll send you home with a couple in case any hangover symptoms start showing."

The healer snapped his fingers and a quill and parchment lifted off a nearby bed stand and began taking notes and writing the doctor's orders.

Harry rubbed at his head, glad to get out of the hospital. The healer left the room to bottle small vials of the potions he requested.

"Hey, mate," Ron said as he stood on the other side of Harry's bed. "You gave us quite the scare. Mum asked me to owl her the moment you were awake. She sends you her best wishes. Hermione and I will follow you home, I mean, clearly there is a lot to talk about. Well, in Hermione's opinion."

"There is a lot to talk about, Ron!" Hermione growled. "Harry nearly died last night because of what he did. Harry, we are having a long conversation about poor decision making and alcohol."

"Sounds brilliant," Harry muttered.

"Don't worry," Ron winked at Harry, "I'll be there for you and I'll make sure the girls don't tear pieces out of you."

"Thanks, Ron," Harry smiled.

Harry thought about what he was going to do. Could there possible be any way back into the Second Chances Reality? Or would he have to readjust to this world?

"Here are your clothes, Harry," Ginny said, handing him his attire.

"Thanks," Harry took the clothes and made to stand up. "Am I good to change or does the healer . . ."

"You're good to go," Ginny answered. "The bathroom is just through those doors."

Harry stood and went to the bathroom to change. After dressing into some jeans and a casual shirt, Harry looked in the mirror and froze in shock. Whoever was in the mirror, Harry didn't recognize him. He wasn't Harry James Potter nor was he Harry Severus Evans Snape. He looked like a combination of the two. He had James' messy mop like hair, but it was darker than normal, almost black like Severus's. He had Severus's pale complexion, but James' facial structure and poor eyesight. The only thing that remained the same, was his green eyes.

Harry stared at himself for several long moments, trying to adjust to the look. It was so strange. Harry wasn't sure what to make of the new look or what it could possibly mean. He frowned as he peered into the mirror, staring himself down.

"Harry!" Ginny called, knocking softly on the door. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Ginny," Harry answered. "Hey, did you notice anything different about me?"

"Yes, well, your hair is darker and you look pale. The healer said it could be effects of the alcohol, it should all wear off in a couple days or so."

"Alright," Harry said, though he doubted that was the reason for the new look.

Harry had a strong feeling that his alternate selves combined somehow, resulting in this new look. He wondered if he should tell everyone, or at least Ginny, of the other reality he had lived in. He decided against it. They would probably think it had all been a dream, a result of the alcohol. Even if they did believe him, they may try to convince him to stay in this world. He would just play along for now.

Harry slipped his shoes on and left the bathroom. The healer handed him a couple shot-sized vials of potions and gave him a parchment which had the instructions of when to take them. Harry shook hands with the healer and thanked him. Ginny led him to the floo and they left the hospital and headed home.

When they arrived to 12 Grimmauld Place, Harry barely recognized it. The house held no meaning or significance in the other reality, not to him anyway. After a moment, the memories of the events that took place in this house came rushing back to him and he sneered at the living room where Ginny had led him, forcing him down into the couch.

"Lie here," Ginny commanded, "I'm going to make you a light lunch and then you're napping for the night, no arguments."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry smirked.

Ginny rolled her eyes playfully and went into the kitchen.

Harry laid there, wondering about the change in features. Clearly, he wasn't the same Harry Potter. Would that in any way affect how he adapted back into this reality? Or if he even could?

The floo flared and Ron and Hermione stepped through.

"How are you feeling, now, Harry?" Hermione asked, coming to stand in front of him. Ron dragged an armchair over for Hermione before sitting in another chair.

"I'm alright, honest, Hermione," Harry answered.

"Well, we are here for you," Hermione said, dragging her chair even closer to the couch. "Whatever you want to talk about, we'll talk about it. If there's anything . . ."

"Hermione!" Harry interrupted. "I'm fine. There's nothing, I swear. I just needed a little alone time to process everyone we lost in the war and . . ." Harry trailed off, not sure what he was trying to get at.

"So, it's about the war," Hermione leaned forward a bit. "You're still mourning. It's alright to mourn every now and then. Who specifically were you mourning for?"

Harry frowned at Hermione, but he did try to think back all those years ago (or at least in his mind), to when he had entered the bar and began drinking excessively. Who was he mourning over? Everyone? Sirius? Harry couldn't remember exactly, but he was pretty sure it was everyone to some extent, maybe some people more than others.

"I don't know," Harry finally answered. "Everyone I guess. Maybe Sirius for the most part. I mean, he was my last chance at having a real, loving family."

"He was," Hermione agreed, nodding her head. "Do you think Sirius's lost has affected you more than anyone else's in the war?"

"It could have," Harry said, "I don't know, it hurt to see everyone we lost just lying there lifeless. We were all still kids, really – to have seen so much death in such a short time. It's hard to see anyone die. Especially Remus and Tonks side by side. George holding Fred's limp body."

"I understand. It's very hard. How does all that make you feel?"

"Depressed. Lost sometimes. When I think about it, I guess I get angry with myself, with the whole war. No one had to die. I couldn't save them all."

"No one expected you to, Harry. So, with all those conflicting emotions, you decided to go to Hog's Head and drink a little. What happened there?"

"It felt nice at first. A little relief from the firewhiskey. It burned going down my throat, but it soothed my nerves and made everything seem like it was going to be okay."

"Was it, Harry? Was it going to be okay?"

"It'll never be okay," Harry found himself saying. He was surprised when tears filled his eyes. Why was he getting so emotional? "It's my fault everyone is gone – including Sirius. He shouldn't have died. If I didn't fall for that stupid vision, he'd still be here. If I didn't tell Cedric to finish with me together, he'd still be here. No one had to fight that war. Merlin, I'm losing it."

Harry found himself crying softly, his hands covering his face. He sat up on the couch so the tears could fall instead of burning his eyes. What the hell was wrong with him? Harry fought to stop crying, he didn't really feel that upset, did he? He sounded like a . . .

A teenager! It suddenly hit Harry why he could be acting like this. He had Harry Snape's age, just fifteen years old. Perhaps not physically, but mentally for sure. He was acting like a hormonal, emotional teenager when in this reality, he was supposed to be twenty-one. This seemed to confirm Harry's belief that his alternate selves from the two realities had combined. He really was two Harry's in one. How strange.

"Harry," Ginny's voice sounded. Harry sensed her sit next to him and she placed an arm around him. "Hermione, what did you say?"

"Don't worry, he needs this," Hermione told her.

"Harry," Ron said, "we are all here for you."

Harry just continued to cry, trying hard to get his emotions under control. This was embarrassing. He was sure his friends thought he was an emotional wreck. After a couple minutes, Harry had himself under control and he wiped at his eyes, Ginny rubbing his back soothingly.

"I'm alright now," Harry said quietly.

"That's good to hear," Hermione said. "You've had it hard, Harry. It's no wonder you went out for some firewhiskey. But how did the next morning feel?"

Harry wasn't sure how to answer that. Technically, he had died and entered the Second Chances Reality. When he was forced back here, he had woken up confused, shocked, and even more depressed. He had ruined everything. No matter where he was or what world he was in, he always managed to ruin everything.

"Horrible," Harry answered honestly.

"Maybe drinking isn't the answer, then. What do you think?"

"Maybe not."

"How can we help you make this better?"

Harry looked up at Hermione. She looked very concerned. He looked over at Ginny, who also looked concerned, and then at Ron, who was frowning slightly.

"I guess," Harry sighed, trying to think of something. "I guess just be there for me."

"Sounds like a plan," Hermione smiled.

Harry smiled back, comforted by Hermione's odd therapy session. That's all he would need while he tried to figure out what to do from here. There was no one else for him.

"We can do that," Ron agreed.

"We'll always be there for you, Harry," Ginny said.

"Thanks, everyone," Harry said.

Ginny brought out some grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone to share and a bowl of tomato soup for Harry, along with a big glass of water. Conversations grew a bit lighter, away from the dramatic alcohol – mourning dead people subject. Harry was happy to talk about other things. In a way, it helped remind him of what had happened in this world. When Ron mentioned work, Harry remembered that he was an auror, and that he and Ron worked a lot together. Ron mentioned something about Hogwarts and Harry abandoned his soup.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"An investigation needs to be done at Hogwarts," Ron repeated. "A couple students were complaining about the dead coming back to life. Said they saw a ghost."

"There's a ton of ghosts at Hogwarts," Harry frowned.

"Yes, but the Ministry wants to be wary. Any dark magic reported this soon after the war is a concern and should be looked in to. Remember? I'm sure it's nothing serious, just a couple muggleborns who've never seen ghosts before. Hey, do you want to investigate it, tomorrow?"

Harry blinked. This would be his chance to see if he could find any of Albus Dumbledore's portraits. One of them had to know about the Second Chances Reality. Dumbledore did say he had been working on it in this universe before his death. And whatever this ghost thing was probably wasn't serious, so it shouldn't take long to investigate.

"Yeah, I'll take it," Harry said. "Tomorrow?"

"First thing in the morning, a couple aurors are going to look around," Ron confirmed.

"Only," Ginny interrupted, "if you're feeling well enough to do so. I suggest you get some rest if you plan on getting up so early and going out to explore Hogwarts."

"We should be going," Hermione said, standing. "Ron and I have things to work on. Don't we, Ron?"

"I guess," Ron shrugged. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"We'll see you two later," Hermione said.

They bid farewells, then Ron and Hermione left by floo.

"Finish your soup, Harry," Ginny said. "Then it's naptime for you. After you investigate Hogwarts, we need to finish planning for the wedding."

Harry's eyes widened. He had forgotten what had been going on when he had left this world. A wedding! The thought brought anxiety and even more emotion that Harry was sure came from the fifteen-year-old side of him.

"Right," Harry said, unsure if he should elaborate on what exactly needed to be done.

"Don't worry about it, now. Just finish your soup."

Harry quickly ate the last of the soup, though his appetite wasn't really there. After he downed the last bit of his water, Ginny helped him up the stairs and to their bedroom. She left him to get dressed into pajamas. She returned for a moment to wish him sweet dreams.

Harry laid only in the king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling in thought. If there was a portrait of Dumbledore that knew of the other reality, he would ask as many questions as he could about it to figure out if there was a way back. And if there wasn't, Harry wasn't sure what he would do. He had grown to love his new life as Severus Snape's son. He loved Sam, his uncles, his aunt and his cousins, his friends. He had more family that cared about him in the other reality.

However, if there was no way back, he figured readjusting to life here wouldn't be too bad. This was his home first anyway.

Harry felt a strange tingling in his hand. He looked down and gasped. His hand looked like TV static, the way Sam had right before disappearing when Severus killed him just before Harry met the same fate. It shimmered for several seconds before stopping and disappearing. Harry studied his hand, wondering what had happened and what it meant.

Deciding to just let whatever happen slide, Harry closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

I hope it was enough to move the story along. Next chapter you'll get a few answers! Tell me what you thought!?


	4. An Intruder at Hogwarts

Thank you for the reviews. They are always encouraging. this next chapter is a bit short, but it answers some questions, so I hope it is satisfying.

* * *

The next morning, Harry woke up to find Ginny next to him in bed. It had been a long time since he had slept next to another body, even his father as he had grown out of seeking his father at night whenever he had a nightmare or wasn't feeling well. Well, in the Second Chances Reality that is. Harry felt a bit awkward and rolled out of bed.

He found his way around the bedroom easily, finding his clothes and changing in the attached bathroom. He moved around quietly, not wanting to disturb Ginny in her sleep. Harry wondered what he would do from this point. If he couldn't find his answers at Hogwarts, where would he look then? Harry hoped he could get some answers that would tell him how to resolve his situation.

Harry walked downstairs and into the kitchen. He remembered his way around the house well thanks to his visits with his Uncle Sirius.

After making some morning tea, he realized he wasn't alone. Ginny was now awake with a pink bathrobe on. She leaned on the kitchen counter smiling at Harry.

"Feeling better?" Ginny asked. "You woke up before me. I didn't think that you'd get up so early after yesterday. You had such a long, rough day.

"I did," Harry answered. "But I feel a lot better. Thanks to you, and Hermione, and Ron. I don't know where I would be without you guys." He set a cup of tea in front of Ginny and poured himself another cup.

"Thank you, Harry," Ginny smiled, lifting the cup and breathing in the smell. "And you'd probably be dead without us."

"I might as well be," Harry laughed.

Ginny took a small sip of the tea, Harry following her lead. The tea was sweet with a bit of a tang, just the way Harry liked it. Though when he was younger, he liked it extra sugary.

"I'm going to investigate the situation at Hogwarts today," Harry informed Ginny. "That'll give me something to do and keep my mind off other things."

"Very well. As long as you are home before six tonight. If you're not, I'm sending Ron out after you."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be home by six."

"Don't be late. And no going to any bars. I don't want you turning into something you know you're not. Alcohol is dangerous, you know. It's not the answer to our problems in life."

"I know, Ginny."

Harry remembered a time when he was fourteen and had had a nightmare. It was late and he hadn't wanted to disturb his father. He realized his father had left out his Guinness beer after having a glass himself. Severus was usually pretty good about not leaving things out. Harry was usually pretty good at leaving things alone. However, it was too tempting and he drank two bottles of his father's beer and woke up with a horrible headache. It was the only incident Severus had ever taken a belt to his son. Lucky for Harry, it had only been eight strokes over his shorts.

"Just remember – six o'clock. You are forbidden to even step foot in a bar," Ginny smirked.

Harry snorted at the commands. He finished his tea and moved around the counter. Ginny moved as well and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and leaned in. Awkwardly, Harry tried to return the kiss. It had been so long since he had kissed a girl passionately. Technically, he had never really kissed a girl since he left this reality.

It was awkward, but it seemed to satisfy Ginny who pulled back and smiled at him.

"I'll be waiting for you," Ginny said. She turned and took her cup of tea back upstairs with her.

Harry took a deep breath and breathed out heavy through his mouth, blowing out the air. He felt warm and a bit shaky from the kiss, probably his teenage hormones acting up inside him. He shook the feeling away and finished getting ready to head to Hogwarts.

* * *

Harry made a straight shot for the headmaster's office. He remembered Hogwarts pretty well, he had gone to school twice there. Harry smiled at the idea. Walking through the halls reminded Harry of his times with his father and Sam and he felt an overwhelming sadness take over him. He pushed the feelings down, unwilling to be distracted by the rush of emotions. Two other aurors were investigating Hogwarts as well, so Harry's presence wasn't suspicious to anyone. He told the gargoyle at the entrance that he was an auror investigating and needed entrance. The gargoyle obligingly moved. Once he was there, he looked for Albus Dumbledore's portrait.

Albus's portrait was of him standing in the headmaster's office wearing blue robes and a matching hat. Fawkes, the phoenix, sat on a perch in the background, grooming himself. Albus smiled at Harry as he approached his massive portrait.

"My second visitor of the day," Albus greeted. "What brings you here, Harry?"

"Second visitor?" Harry questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I will not give up my visitors' confidentiality, but yes, you are my second visitor today," Albus said. "I do enjoy having company, it gets lonely in this office sometimes."

"Oh, well, I just have a question that I was hoping you'd be able to answer."

"Ask away, my boy."

"It's about the . . ." Harry glanced around the room to make sure it was empty. The current headmaster wasn't there. "The Second Chances Reality."

"Ah, yes, my creation," Albus smiled happily. "What about it?"

"Is there any way to get back to it?"

"I wouldn't know," Albus sadly shook his head.

"What!?" Harry exclaimed. He could feel his temper rising. Would he never return to the other reality? Was it impossible to do so? "You created the world! How do you not know – did you not think about the possibility that someone would screw up and need a way back. . ."

"Listen to me, Harry," Albus scolded. "I do not know because I am a portrait with limited memories from my passed away self. However, there is another portrait that I had created for this specific situation. It is in the potions master's quarters, hidden away so it could only be found when it was needed."

"Oh," Harry felt his temper leave, feeling foolish for getting angry in the first place. "So, I just need to find that portrait?"

"And you will have all your answers," Albus's smile returned.

"Why in the potions master's quarters?"

"Because I figured if anyone were to remember this world, it would have been some of the more powerful wizards. Like The Chosen One. There is also a portrait in a few other homes and places I will not mention, as they have nothing to do with you."

"But if you thought I would have the chance of remembering this world, why Snape's original quarters?"

"Because I had an odd feeling that you would have a better relationship with Severus Snape. I was sure Severus would use his second chance to make up with Lily. Am I correct in my assumptions?"

"You are," Harry answered proudly. "He became my father."

"Isn't that wonderful!" Albus's eyes twinkled in the portrait. "Then it is convenient for you that that portrait is the nearest one that has your answers."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Harry said, turning to leave.

"I'm starting to see more how Severus was your father," Albus smiled. "He always refused to just call me Albus."

Harry snorted then left the office and walked down to where he remembered Severus's quarters to be. Hopefully, it wasn't different in this world.

As Harry walked down to the dungeons he thought about who else may have wanted to speak to the headmaster. And why. As he came upon the potions master's quarters, he realized that the door was ajar. Whoever had talked to the headmaster before must be looking for the same answers. This person must know about the alternate reality. That person was already inside.

Harry pulled out his wand and slowly opened the door further. He cautiously stepped inside.

The living room was a disaster. Couch cushions had been thrown on the floor, the couch itself moved aside at an odd angle. The two armchairs were flipped over. Portraits on the walls were shoved aside and some were just torn off the wall.

Harry remembered that Albus didn't specify where this portrait was hidden. This person seemed to have gone on a rampage.

Harry moved deeper into the rooms. The small dining table was flipped upside down, the two chairs on either side of it pushed back. It was a fancier dining table than his father had in the alternate reality. Harry remembered that the time frames were different in the two realities.

In the kitchen, every cupboard was opened. Plates and cups were removed from the empty cupboards and scattered throughout the kitchen. Drawers were opened and silverware were mixed up inside. In the study, drawers in desk were rummaged through, papers flown all over the floor. Books from the shelves on the wall were knocked off.

Harry moved on to the bedroom. He realized that there was only one bedroom in the quarters. He glanced inside to see it just as messed up as the rest of the place. The bed was stripped bare, blankets thrown on the floor, and the mattress had a huge gash in it. Pillows were thrown off the bed. Portraits on the walls were once again shoved aside or torn off the wall. Drawers in a dresser were opened and the closet had been rummaged through, clothes were still falling off the hangers.

A loud bang came from the potions lab. Harry ran out of the bedroom and into the lab.

"Hello, Harry!" Came a cheery voice.

Harry saw the headmaster's portrait in a deep, large square hole in the wall. Another portrait was on the ground. Harry noticed the lab was in a lot better shape than the rest of the apartment, this person must have found the portrait quickly in here.

This portrait was just of Albus's head. He was wearing something purple, probably robes, and a matching lighter purple hat.

"I do love company," Albus continued talking. "What brings you here?"

"I have a few questions," Harry said. He looked around the lab, but didn't see anyone. "First, who else has been in here?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Albus said. "Confidentiality."

"Alright, what if I introduced myself as Auror Potter who is investigating some suspicious activity here. I need the name of whoever has been here and is asking you questions."

"And I can't give it to you," Albus said. "As you know, the secrecy of the Second Chances Reality is important, and the fewer who know, the better. I made sure that this portrait could not give away too much information, just enough to hint at answers to questions. I could not give you the name no matter what you do."

"So," Harry tried to think of something that would help him out, "can you hint at who this person is."

"I can say that you do know this person very well."

Harry frowned. He knew a lot of people very well. Harry sighed.

"Okay," Harry said, giving up on his previous question. "Is there any way back into the other reality?"

"You were never meant to leave the reality once you got there," Albus said. "Technically, it does not exist right now. Two realities are hard to coexist at one given time, hence why the Second Chances was a few years behind."

"That doesn't answer my question," Harry stated.

"If I remember correctly, I did have an idea before I died in this reality. It had something to do with Severus Snape."

"What?" Harry asked impatiently.

"As I've told you, this portrait cannot give away too much information. That is your hint."

"That doesn't help me!" Harry exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Just sleep on it, I'm sure the answer will come," Albus said. "I'm sorry, my boy."

Harry grabbed at his hair and pulled roughly. He had no idea what to do anymore. He needed direct answers, not this hinting at stuff. He closed his eyes for a moment, using his hand to rub at them wearily, lifting his glasses up. He thought for a moment and decided to see if this portrait could answer any other questions he had.

"I feel like I've combined with my alternate self," Harry informed Albus. "Was that supposed to have happened?"

"I never thought much on it before," Albus admitted. "I did know that chances were you would be forced back to this reality, and I figured that your alternate self would just disappear. I guess when you were forced back, you ended up simply combining with your previous self."

"So, if I can never find a way back, will I be stuck like this forever here? Will I have one older, one younger mind in my head?"

"I don't think so," Albus said slowly.

Harry felt an odd tingling. He looked at his right hand that held his wand and realized it was shimmering again. But this time, the static like look had moved up his arm to his elbow. Harry stared at the strange look. It lasted for several seconds before disappearing.

"I believe," Albus said once the shimmering stopped, "that that same thing happened right before you left the other reality."

Harry remembered how Sam's entire body had shimmered in a similar way before disappearing.

"What's it mean?" Harry asked.

"It means you do not belong here," Albus said gravely. "When you revealed the alternate reality to Severus and then combined your two selves, you upset the time continuum. Now, it is trying to correct itself by deciding whether to get rid of you or not. You are not Harry Potter anymore, and you are not Harry Snape. Therefore, you do not belong in either world. The shimmering that took you out of the Second Chances Reality will take you out of this one, too. If that shimmering covers your entire body, you will disappear from all existence."

The portrait began sinking into the hole more and the wall around it began to close.

"My time is coming to an end," Albus said. "Remember what I told you. You will figure it out."

"Wait!" Harry called to it. The portrait was almost completely hidden now. "I don't know what to do! How long do I have?"

"I'd give it a week, Harry. No longer." The portrait was now gone.

Harry felt frustrated. He was just as lost as he was before.

A loud bang echoed through the lab.

Harry looked at the now closed lab door and ran to it. The door was locked! Whoever that person was had stayed in the lab with him and listened to his and Albus's entire conversation. He needed to find that person and stop him.

Harry used his wand to unlock the door and he ran out after the intruder. He noticed that everything was back in order in all the rooms – as if nothing had ever happened.

Harry ran out the opened door and stood just outside wondering which way down the hall to run. He heard a loud scream and ran to his left. He came across a young girl, a fourth or fifth year student, sitting against the wall and shaking, her hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes.

Two other men were running his way and Harry recognized them as aurors.

"Auror Taylor, what happened?" One of the aurors asked.

"Not sure," Harry responded. He lowered himself next to the girl. "Hey, can you tell us what happened? What's your name?"

"Elizabeth," the girl muttered.

"What happened?" Harry pushed. "Did someone hurt you?"

"I'm losing my mind," The girl said. "I think I saw a ghost. It flew away. Right out that window."

The girl pointed up and all three aurors looked up at the high, glass windows. One glass windowpane was broken.

"Can you describe what this ghost looked like?" Auror Taylor asked.

"I thought it was . . . it looked like . . . But it couldn't be. I don't know, he was wearing a long black cloak," Elizabeth said.

Harry had a sudden thought. A long black cloak? Flew away? Could this possible intruder be . . . Sam? Harry was sure Sam would have met his fate in Japan. But why would the fox run from him? He didn't look exactly the same as he did before, but he was similar enough. Harry suddenly remembered one detail – Sam couldn't mist while he was in human form. He would have had to strip, shift, then mist.

Harry sighed. The girl was too upset to think and remember coherently.

A piece of parchment appeared next to Auror Taylor while the second auror reached down and pulled the girl to her feet, supporting her. Taylor read the note.

"Activity was just reported at the graveyard. Man seen in a dark cloak. Could be the same," Taylor looked at Harry. "Would you like to investigate that, Auror Potter? We'll take the girl to the hospital wing here."

"Sure, I'll go check it out," Harry said.

* * *

Harry stood in front of Severus Snape's grave. The tombstone just reminded Harry that he was in the previous world with no more than a week left to live. Here, the man he had grown to love and respect as a father was dead. He couldn't believe the mess he had gotten himself into. Just re-entering this world was a shock enough, now he was damned to die? Harry felt tears in his eyes, and whether it was due to his teenage side or just overwhelming emotions from the entire situation, Harry felt the need to cry. He covered his eyes with a single hand, unsure of what to do. He felt lost and hopeless.

Harry knew he should probably look around for this cloaked man. He had been standing in front of Severus's grave for a while, this man was probably already gone.

Yet, he couldn't bring himself to turn away from the grave. He missed his father. He missed Sam. He missed his uncles. He never got the chance to say goodbye to any of them. If Sam were alive, Harry knew the fox would kill him for destroying the second chance the fox had gotten. In this world, Sam had no one, while in the other reality, he had family.

Harry sighed and finally managed to look away from the grave. He saw something dark out of the corner of his eye. He looked in that direction and nearly stopped breathing.

Leaning against a tree, barely twenty feet away, with his arms crossed stood a man wearing a long black cloak. The hood concealed the man's face, but Harry could tell that the man had been watching him for who knows how long. The man uncrossed his arms when he noticed Harry was looking in his direction.

"Excuse me, sir," Harry called to the man walking in his direction now.

The man pulled away from the tree and bolted.

"Auror Potter, stop!" Harry yelled as he ran after the man.

The man didn't slow. Harry quickly pulled out his wand.

"Petrificus totalus!" Harry shouted pointing his wand at the man.

The man's legs and arms snapped together and he fell to the ground face first. Harry took a second to catch his breath as he walked up to the man. Harry reached down, prepared to turn the man over and see who was causing all the trouble at Hogwarts and the graveyard.

Before Harry could turn the man over, the man spun on his own and grabbed Harry's arm, wrapping his legs around Harry's and knocking him to the ground. Harry grunted as he fell harshly. He wondered how the man broke free of the spell so quickly.

The man stumbled to his feet once more and began to run. Harry quickly stood to his own and leaped at the man, wrapping his arms around the running legs. They both fell back to the ground.

Harry let go of the legs and tried to pin the broad shoulders to the ground. His wand had been knocked out of his hand at some point. The man elbowed Harry in the face before pushing him off. Harry found himself pinned by the larger man. He struggled to throw the man off him, but the man grabbed his wrists and held them above his head.

Feeling too exposed, Harry tried to squirm his hands out of the man's tight grip. His really couldn't move any bit of his body but he tried anyway.

"Stop it!" A familiar deep voice snapped at him. "Harry, stop! Enough!"

Harry froze and gasped. The hood of the black cloak had fallen and Harry finally got to look at the man's face.

"D-d – Se – Professor Snape!" Harry exclaimed.

* * *

I know it's short, the next chapter will be longer. I hope it moved things along.


	5. A Possible Solution

Here's the next chapter. To the reviews I couldn't respond to, thank you! Reviews are always so encouraging. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.

* * *

Harry stared up at Severus Snape with wide eyes, who kept him pinned down to the ground. Harry didn't know what to say. Severus was supposed to be dead in this reality. He remembered what Dumbledore had said: _forcing them to switch realities._ Had that been what happened? Or had Severus combined with his alternate self as well? Harry wondered how that would even work with a dead body.

Severus rolled off Harry and picked something up, pointing the object at the still down Harry as he backed away. Harry realized it was his wand.

Harry stood up, keeping his hands up to show that they were empty, and faced Severus.

Severus slid Harry's wand into his sleeve and pulled out his own ebony wand and trained it on Harry. He seemed to be breathing heavy from the quick physically tussle. Harry slowly caught his breath as well.

Harry gulped, wondering what the man would do. Severus had seemed to recognize him for a moment, but that could have been merely a way to catch him off-guard. Harry wondered which Severus Snape this one was more of – his father Snape or his hated Professor Snape. Harry watched as Severus studied him critically.

"Do you," Severus finally began, "have any idea what it's like to wake up in your own grave?"

Harry's eyes widened. That must have been quite the shock. So, the two Severus's did combine. Harry shook his head in a negative response, though he was unsure if Severus wanted an answer or if he was just being rhetorical.

"Then you find out you're in some other dimension," Severus continued, keeping his wand trained on Harry, "people scream when they see because you're supposed to be dead, and Aurors fire curses at you."

"I'm sorry," Harry offered, still unsure if he was supposed to relate with the man. It sounded as if this was his father Severus Snape, not his professor from this reality.

The girl, Elizabeth – she must have seen him at Hogwarts. She had said that she thought the man had looked like – but then that it couldn't have been. She would have been a first- or second-year during the final times of the war, so she probably recognized the potions master. And if not from then, from stories and portraits of the man. That would also explain the claim that the dead was coming back to life. And the visitors Albus's portraits had and the trashed quarters.

"Welcome to a new reality," Harry decided to say when Severus just stared at him. He grimaced at the statement, knowing it probably wasn't what the man wanted to hear.

Severus didn't seem amused. He started slowly circling Harry, keeping his wand fixed on him, carefully crossing one foot over the other in practiced ease. Harry didn't move or turn with the man, just allowed Severus to look him over like some kind of specimen.

"What's your name?" Severus asked, curiosity evidently strong in his name.

Harry wondered why Severus was asking when the man had said his name. Then he figured Severus wanted his whole name.

"Harry James Potter," Harry answered.

"Did you come from the – uh – other reality?"

"Yes," Harry nodded.

"What was your name there?"

Harry gulped before saying, "Harry Severus Evans Snape."

Severus paused in his circling for a second before moving again, making his way around Harry.

"Birthday?" The man asked.

"July 31st."

"Mother's name?"

"Lily Potter. And in the other reality, Lily Snape."

Severus had made a complete circle around Harry at this point. He stopped directly in front of Harry, still keeping enough distance between them.

"Father's name?"

"James Potter," Harry swallowed and made himself stare directly at Severus. "And in the other reality – you."

Severus stepped even closer and Harry forced himself not to move, wondering if he could snatch his wand – or the ebony wand – from the man. He hated not having a wand in his hands, it made him feel completely defenseless.

Harry saw a hand reach for his face and his glasses were removed. Severus became blurry and he squinted as he tried to focus on the man. Severus was just standing there, presumably staring at him. Suddenly, Harry found himself in a tight hug.

"I didn't think you were here," Severus said softly. "I didn't know if you existed anymore or if you were someone else entirely. I'm so glad I found you."

"You're supposed to be dead," Harry said, slowly returning the hug.

"I know," Severus pulled back, pushing Harry away slightly. "The headmaster told me what had happened with me here. What had happened in this world in general. I came here to see if everything had been true. If Sirius, Remus, James and Lily . . . myself, if we were all dead."

"You woke up in a grave, you said?" Harry asked. "How'd you even get out?"

"I had my wand," Severus answered. "And I can apparate, with or without it."

"Right," Harry frowned in thought.

"You're older in this world," Severus observed. "Taller, too. You're almost as tall as me. I take it you're an auror?"

"Yes," Harry said. He remembered that in the old reality, being only fifteen, he was at least a foot shorter than Severus. Here, he stood just under Severus's nose. Harry wondered if this was how tall he would be when he was full grown as Harry Snape. Harry squinted more at Severus as the man grew blurrier before reaching out a hand. "I need my glasses."

"Oh, yes" Severus handed back the spectacles. "Sorry."

Harry put the glasses back on and stared at the now clear image of Severus. "It seems when I combined, I didn't get Harry's Snape's eyesight."

"And you're not my son in this reality," Severus said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Well, no," Harry said. "But I did combine with my alternate self and I have a lot of Harry Snape in me, if it makes it any better."

"Not really," Severus frowned at him, narrowing his eyes slightly. "We need to get back to our reality."

Harry didn't have the heart to remind Severus that this was technically the original reality, the true reality, so he just nodded.

Suddenly, Severus's arm started shimmering, just as Harry's had earlier that day. Severus looked down at his arm, examining it at different angles. Harry stared as well. The time continuum must be deciding whether to get rid of Severus or not as well, Harry thought. The shimmering stopped after a few seconds.

"We need to hurry," Severus said. "Clearly we don't have a lot of time."

Without any warning, Severus grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him close. Harry felt the familiar tug of apparating and nearly lost his breath. When they landed, he nearly fell to the ground, but Severus held on to him until he gathered his footing.

"Are you alright?" Severus asked.

"I'm fine," Harry said as he steadied himself. "Just wasn't expecting that."

"Not as graceful in this reality with apparating, hmm?" Severus had a sly look in his eyes.

"Well, I haven't done side-along apparition with someone for most my life in this world." Harry brushed himself off.

He looked around and noticed a creepy, old looking house in front of him. It appeared to be abandoned and it gave off a musty smell. Ivy vines crawled up the side of the house, eating into the walls. The windows were small and divided into sections of four, some of the glass panes shattered or just completely missing. The door was slightly off color from the rest of the house and had several chips and splints. Overall, the house was not inviting.

"What is this place?" Harry asked.

"Spinner's End," Severus answered. "Where I grew up."

Harry didn't question further. The home was the same place his father had grown up in the original reality, in the town where he had met Lily Evans. In the Second Chances Reality, Severus had sold the old house. Harry remembered that his father had told him that his parents tended to be neglectful and they fought constantly, which is why he wanted nothing to do with the house. In this reality, Severus must have never left his old home.

Harry followed Severus to the house. The bottom step squeaked as they applied pressure and walked up to the door. Severus pulled out his wand and tapped the brass handle. An audible click was heard and Severus opened the door.

Harry nearly sneezed as he entered the house, and he coughed slightly in the dark room. A thick layer of dust covered every piece of furniture and bookshelf, forming little dust bunnies and other creatures in some places. Mold ate away at the walls and flooring. Cobwebs laced the windows, corners, and portraits of various people, decorating the walls in a silky curtain. Harry covered his mouth and nose with his robes, trying to breathe better air than what the house offered.

"Sorry for the mess," Severus said, waving his wand. "I'm guessing no one has lived in here since I passed in this reality."

A bright blue light began to glow at the end of Severus's wand and cleaning supplies flew into the room. After several long minutes, the living room had a new feel to it. The dust and cobwebs were gone, the furniture looked new and the mold had cleaning supplies retreated to whatever closet they had come from.

"Great," Harry said, looking around and removing his robes from his face. "All we need now is some light. Do you have any candles or lanterns or –"

Harry jumped and squinted as light filled the room from a chandelier hanging in the center of the room. Harry looked at Severus, who had a hand on a light switch still.

"This is a muggle house, Harry," Severus smirked.

"Right," Harry said, looking down in embarrassment. Changing the subject, Harry asked, "so, how do you suppose we get back to the other reality?"

"Have you not figured it out yet, you daft boy?" Severus said, moving around Harry to a bookshelf and searching the bindings. Harry chose not to take offense. "The wishing potion! My creation in the other reality. The headmaster did have a bigger plan for the silly invention – in case something like this ever happened!"

Harry felt excitement rush through him. There was a way back! Severus had figured it out. A simple wish from such a powerful potion would be there answer. But could a potion work to bring them to a reality that doesn't technically exist now? Was there possible limitations to the potion? Severus had used powerful ingredients to create the potion, so maybe it could be there answer.

"Are you sure it will work?" Harry asked stepping over to where Severus was scanning the bookshelves.

"If the drinker chooses his words carefully, it should."

Severus found the book he was looking for. Harry recognized it as the ancient potions book that emitted a purple hue. The book was full of ways to use and control ancient magic, as well as what ingredients or items contained ancient magic. Ancient magic was a powerful type of magic, being a more natural and prevalent kind.

"I just need to spend the night remembering the instructions," Severus said, unlocking the book and flipping through the pages. "The potion took a month to brew, but if we can find ingredients of high magical quality, I should be able to rush the process. I will look through this book for a way to buy us time, as well. A few days if possible. A week would be a miracle."

Harry blinked. Severus had already worked out a plan for a way to get back while Harry had been more concerned about how he had ruined everything and here this man was working hard and thinking hard to get back. Harry wondered where his own motivation was and why he was acting more depressed than anything else. He needed to start taking action.

"What do you need me to do?" Harry asked.

"I will need you to buy the ingredients," Severus looked at Harry. "Since I'm dead, I can't make an appearance at Gringotts to withdraw money. If there's anything left in my vault, that is. I also can't show my face around Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, I already have several Aurors trying to track me down. I'll go with you to ensure you get the right ingredients, I'll just have my cloak with the hood up. Once we have what we need, you can help me brew the potion. We'll need to make as many as we can at one time, just in case anything goes wrong with any one of them"

Harry nodded. It was a simple enough plan. He hoped they could figure something out to stay in existence longer and finish the potion before they all disappeared. He also hoped that they didn't run into any conflicts.

"I just have one question that keeps agitating me," Severus set the book down on a nearby side table.

"What?" Harry asked.

"How did we get here in the first place?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Into this world, this dimension?"

Harry looked away, thinking of a way to explain his stupidity. He wasn't sure how Severus would handle the information. Harry licked his lips anxiously and glanced back at Severus.

"It's fine if you don't know," Severus said, waving his hand at him almost dismissively. "Perhaps there was some disruption in the time continuum."

Yeah, Harry thought, me and my big mouth. He figured Severus deserved to know in case they couldn't find a way back to the other reality. In case they disappeared from all possible existence, at least Severus would know the truth as to what happened.

"Well, kind of," Harry said. "I kind of caused the disruption."

Severus narrowed his eyes at Harry, tilting his head curiously.

"How?" He asked.

"Well," Harry looked down and scuffed his feet. He remembered that Severus still had his wand and he wished he had the courage to demand it back. "When I first arrived in that reality – or, I mean, the first day I remember from that reality. Remember that day? When I was four and you thought I was sick and I had a headache?"

"It's a bit hard to pinpoint one day when you were four, Harry," Severus said, closing his eyes for a couple seconds.

"Oh, well, we went to Hogwarts the next day. I remembered everything about . . . this reality and wanted to speak with Dumbledore, who said that if I ever told anyone about the original reality, that it would bring back their memories and we would all be forced back into . . . well, where we are now."

"Must be something about the magic in words," Severus said, "more specifically the words of someone who remembers the alternate world."

"Maybe," Harry had never really given it much thought. "But do you remember the argument we just had before we ended up here?"

"Yes," Severus answered. "You were upset that Professor Umbridge had given you detention, saying how it was unfair."

"It was unfair!" Harry exclaimed. He sighed. There was no use in arguing now. "Anyway, I yelled at you that I hated you as much as I did in the old reality. Remember that?"

Severus frowned and his eyes seemed unfocused as he thought about it.

"Yes," he finally said. He glared at Harry. "You bit me, too."

Harry felt his cheeks burn as he was reminded of his childish behavior. Of course, Severus would bring that up.

"You weren't being fair," Harry defended. "And you wouldn't let me go, so yeah, I bit you. You slapped me for it!"

"You're justifying your actions? Unbelievable! I'm your father, I . . ." Severus trailed off as he realized what he was saying. "Well, technically, I'm still your father, in a sense. I meant that . . . you said you combined with Harry Snape . . . correct? I guess that . . ."

"It's fine, I know what you meant," Harry said. "But anyway, after I told you that, you started acting weird. Like your alternate self."

"I think I was having visions," Severus said. "Or memories of my alternate self's past."

"Well, because of that, you ended up killing Sam and then me and that's how I ended up here and now you're here, too."

"I don't remember that," Severus frowned. "I remember asking you for water and then I had another visi – memory, I mean. A snake attacked me and I was dead. I blacked out and then woke up in my grave."

Harry thought back to how his father had acted right before killing Sam and himself. The man had seemed distant, gone in a way. He seemed relieved that Severus was handling the information well. He had been afraid Severus would have reacted harshly, perhaps blasting him into the wall for his stupidity.

"So, just to recap," Severus suddenly said. "We are in this mess because you threw a petty tantrum over a detention?"

Harry's face felt like it was on fire. He looked down, hoping to hide how much he was blushing. By the way Severus put it, it really was the stupidest reason there was to destroy an entire reality.

"Well, when you put it that way," Harry defended, "you make it sound worse."

"But it is in fact what happened?"

"Yes, it's what happened. And I'm sorry – it was the stupidest mistake of my – hey, what are you doing!?"

While Harry had been talking, Severus grabbed his arm and pulled him to the couch. The man sat down and threw Harry over his knees.

"Wait!" Harry yelled as he was pinned down by an arm around his waist. "Sev – Professor! I'm 21!"

"And I'm still technically your father," Severus retorted. "Which means age does not matter in my eyes, if you do something wrong, I can punish you. And since you confessed that this was your fault, might as well as discipline you know instead of waiting till we get back. If we even do."

And with that, Severus raised his hand and smacked Harry's bottom. Harry sucked in a breath at the sting. He was physically older, taller, and stronger than Harry Snape was – a few years made quite the difference. However, as Severus's hand kept falling, the heat became more concentrated and the stings were starting to hurt. A couple tears filled his eyes.

No, Harry thought, I'm not going to cry. I'm going to take this like a man.

"Of all the stupid things you've ever done," Severus began lecturing as he kept smacking the bottom, covering every inch, "this is by far the most foolish! Over a silly detention with Professor Umbridge that would have lasted at most an hour, you decide to end an entire world. Honestly, how insufferable can you be?"

"I'm sorry!" Harry said, hating how whiney his voice sounded. He felt tears well in his eyes. Don't cry, Harry thought, don't do it!

"You should be!" Severus snapped, not letting up the slightest. "I hope we get out of this situation alive, and if we do, you can expect another smacking in our world."

Really? He was going to be spanked twice for the same thing. That wasn't fair at all. Yet, it was the whole idea of what was fair and unfair that got him in this mess in the first place.

Harry felt tears burn his eyes and when he blinked, a couple escaped and rolled down his cheek. His bum was on fire, as if Severus was applying a torch and slowly roasting him until he was well-done. Harry felt his legs kick involuntary from a couple well placed smacks to his sitting spots, his feet scuffing the carpet due to his height. A sob broke from his throat and he could tell he was close to crying.

"I hope this teaches you to watch what comes out of that unfiltered mouth of yours," Severus said.

"Dad!" Harry finally broke into tears as a hard smack hit his sit spots, sobbing heavily over Severus's knees. "Please! I'm sorry! I'll watch my mouth, I promise."

Severus paused when Harry had said 'dad' before he landed one last smack on the young man's bottom. Severus pulled Harry to his feet.

Harry stared at Severus through blurry tears, adjusting his glasses that had fallen off a bit and then covering his eyes and face with his hands. Severus seemed a bit uneasy, considering he had spanked Harry who was and wasn't his son at the same time.

"Sorry," Severus said awkwardly. "I had to get that out of my system."

"At least hug me now," Harry said, opening his arms. "You always hug me after you smack me."

Severus slowly pulled Harry into a hug, patting Harry's back soothingly. Severus frowned at how much the younger man was crying.

"Pull yourself together now," Severus pushed Harry back a bit. "I thought you said you were 21?"

"I guess when my alternate selves combined, I ended up getting Harry Snape's age mentally."

"So, you're mentally 15?"

"Yeah."

Harry found himself pulled into a tighter hug and he eagerly returned it. He wondered if telling Severus that he was a teen mentally made the man more willing to hug him. It probably made Severus believe his actions were more just now.

After several quiet moments, Harry had finally stopped crying and pulled away from Severus with burning cheeks. He had just sobbed on the man's shoulder like a five-year-old when he was physically 21. Harry rubbed at his eyes and discreetly rubbed at his bottom when Severus returned to looking through his old book.

"How about some lunch?" Severus suggested. "There are some muggle diners nearby we could go to. I won't have to hide my face either. Then you can inform me of what has happened in this world and what is different."

Harry followed Severus out of the house and through the neighborhoods. They arrived at a small local diner and they both ordered sandwiches.

Harry told Severus how he had been the Chosen One, how he had lived with his magic-hating aunt and uncle, how he had defeated Voldemort, and how he had become so depressed he drank himself to death and ended up in the other reality. He explained how Severus had treated him in school in this world and how the man had always saved him. Severus asked several questions and Harry did his best to answer what he could. He didn't realize what little he knew of this reality's Severus, other than the relationship he had had with James Potter, his love for Lily, his spying career, and just what a brave man he was.

"Dumbledore always trusted you," Harry had told Severus. "And it took me awhile to see why I should've trusted you as well."

After talking to Severus for a few hours, the two left the diner and returned to the shabby house.

"I have a lot of research to do," Severus said, taking a seat in an armchair. Harry sat in the other armchair and moved it so he was facing Severus. "I'll probably be up most of the night, but I'll try and get a couple hours of sleep. First thing in the morning we are going to Diagon Alley and collecting what we need. You and I are going to brew this potion and one of us will make the wish. Preferably you, considering you're the one that got us in this mess."

"Thanks for the reminder," Harry glared at Severus.

"Wipe that look off your face," Severus glared back.

Harry sighed and looked away. He still could never match his father's glare intensity.

"How long do you think it'll take you to brew the potion, Professor?" Harry asked.

"Must you call me that?" Severus frowned.

"Well," Harry remembered that he had called Severus 'dad' while the man was whaling away at his rear, but was it appropriate to do so in this reality? "Do you want me to? I mean, here, I can't really call you dad in public or anything, but . . ."

"In private, then," Severus insisted. "When we are here or alone in different places. Muggle places even."

"Fine," Harry agreed. "I'll call you dad when we are alone, but Professor when we are in the wizarding world. I probably should avoid calling you 'Snape' or 'Severus.'"

"That might be for the best," Severus said.

"Anyway, how long do you think for the potion?"

"A week at the most. If we are lucky."

They didn't have a week unless Severus could figure out a way to stall the time continuum's decision of what to do with them. Harry bit his lip in worry. What if they didn't make it in time? What if they ended up disappearing before Harry could even make the wish?

"Don't worry, son," Severus said, leaning forward and putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. "We will be fine. We're going to pull this off. Somehow."

Severus's smile eased Harry's concern and Harry offered a smile back. Severus looked at the watch he wore, stood, and walked to the side table where he had put the book.

"It's a bit past six o'clock so I should get to work," Severus said.

"What!?" Harry jumped out of his seat. "It's already past six? I was supposed to be home with Ginny!"

"You're leaving?" Severus asked, facing him with the book in his hands. He looked a bit upset at the idea.

"I have to," Harry said. "But I'll be back first thing in the morning. I promise. Will you be alright here?"

"I'll be fine, Harry," Severus nearly glared.

Harry nodded and turned away, ready to disapparate.

"Harry, wait," Severus said.

Harry looked at the man and noticed he was holding out a wand, his holly and phoenix feather wand. Harry took his wand and smiled at him.

"Thanks," Harry said. "I nearly forgot about it."

"Stay safe," Severus said.

"I will, Dad," Harry smiled.

Severus smiled softly and nodded once.

Harry apparated to Grimmauld Place, just outside the front door. He took a deep breath. What a day he had. He had learned what needed to be done and why he was shimmering. He had found his father, who had figured out the hint Albus had given them and was working on a way back home.

Home, Harry thought. He couldn't wait to get out of this reality once more. As much as he loved his friends, he loved his friends in the Second Chances Reality as well. Besides, Fred wasn't dead in that reality. And he wasn't given much of a choice to stay in this world anyway. In a few days, he would disappear from all existence if something wasn't figured out.

Harry opened the door and was greeted by Ginny immediately.

"Harry, where have you been?"

"Working," Harry answered easily. "I found the perpetrator that was 'haunting' Hogwarts. He was stirring up trouble trying to scare students. It's all been taken care of. I'm a little tired, so I may just head to bed."

"Oh no, you don't," Ginny pulled Harry into the kitchen. "You are eating dinner, first. I know you must be exhausted, after yesterday and all, I knew you shouldn't have left this morning. You need more sleep. Don't worry, you'll get that tonight."

Ginny sat him at the table and pushed a plate of roast beef, sweet potatoes, greens, and a slice of cornbread towards him. He stared down at all the food before digging in. He did feel hungry after the light breakfast and easy lunch. Ginny filled a glass with butterbear and put it next to Harry's plate.

"That's the only glass you're getting," Ginny said.

Harry took a sip and continued eating.

"So, what did you do today?" Harry asked.

"Not much," Ginny said. "I haven't been feeling well. I did some light cleaning and fixed your dinner."

"You're not eating?"

"I've already eaten, Harry. I tried to wait for you, but I got too hungry."

"That's alright. Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Just be on time tomorrow night if you decide to go to work."

"Yes ma'am."

Ginny leaned in for a kiss and Harry quickly followed her lead, though he was still getting used to kissing a girl. He figured by the time he was used to it, he'd be back in the other reality.

* * *

I hope it was okay. Please review and tell me what you think.


	6. Trip to Diagon Alley

To the reviews I couldn't respond to, thank you! Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

"I'm thinking about leaving the auror program and helping George with his shop," Ron told Harry the next morning during breakfast. "He runs it alone and he's always had Fred to help him. Besides, I feel a little more at home in his shop. I mean, I enjoy being an auror and putting dark wizards where they belong, but - is it really for me?"

Harry knew that all his friends were still heavily affected by the war, especially since it was still fresh in everyone's mind. Ron still struggled with the loss of Fred – everyone in his family did. It just encouraged Harry to find a way back to the other world.

Harry and Ron sat at the dining table and Hermione was in the kitchen with Ginny. Harry had to leave soon to meet up with Severus at Spinner's End, but he wasn't expecting Hermione and Ron to stop by. He hoped Severus didn't mind him being late. Hermione merely wanted to speak to Ginny, so he and Ron made breakfast and ate at the table.

"What do you think I should do, Harry?" Ron asked, looking up over his plate of eggs and bacon.

"I think you should follow what you believe is best for you," Harry answered honestly. He felt his foot tingling and knew it was that shimmering again. Thankfully, he was sitting at the table so Ron couldn't see.

"That's what Hermione said," Ron said.

"I think you should listen to her. If you want to leave the department, go right ahead. I'll understand."

"Come, sit down, Ginny," Hermione's voice interrupted. "You've been on your feet all morning. Besides, we need to discuss your wedding plans. Have you sent out invitations?"

Hermione and Ginny joined Ron and Hermione at the dining table, sitting with cups of tea. Harry felt the tingling stop.

"No," Ginny said. "I think we need to postpone the wedding. I mean – Harry doesn't need the stress right now."

"Harry will recover by the time you are standing at the altar," Hermione said.

Harry sighed. He was sure he was going to be dragged into helping with this wedding stuff. Perhaps he could use work as an excuse to escape. He needed to help Severus more anyway. Harry ate the last bite of his eggs before standing.

"I think Hermione's right," Harry said.

"Of course, I'm right."

Harry rolled his eyes before continuing, "I mean that you should work on the wedding plans while I'm gone at work. I promise to help you whenever you need it, but I think it'll take your mind off things and help you focus more."

Ginny smiled at Harry.

"You think you're just going to take off to work every day?" Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

"Well, I am scheduled and they do call me in a lot," Harry said, remembering bits from this world and his career. "Why wouldn't they? I am the great Boy-Who-Lived. The Chosen One."

"We all know you hate those titles," Hermione said, shaking her head at him.

"Did you figure out the Hogwarts situation?" Ron asked.

"I did," Harry sent his plate flying to the kitchen with a self-washing charm. "And speaking of that, I have to go finish the paperwork for it, explaining what had happened and how it was dealt with. I'll see you all later."

* * *

It wasn't hard to escape from his friends after that. Harry apparated to Spinner's End after making a quick stop at the Auror department. He ran up to the front door, the stairs creaking, and knocked. The door swung open and an unseen force pulled him in before the door slammed shut once more.

Harry stumbled into the living room. He gathered his footing and looked around, noticing that all the shades were closed and it was very dark in the living room. Where was Severus? He opened his mouth ready to call out for him.

Suddenly, something wrapped itself around his ankles and he was lifted towards the ceiling upside down. Harry yelled in surprise and reached for his wand, only to have it snatched away from him. He felt something wrap around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides. Before he could call out, whatever this thing was wrapped around his mouth. Harry struggled against it.

"Harry?" A deep voice called to him.

Harry saw an upside-down Severus looking up at him. The man pulled out his wand and a bright light filled the room. Harry felt the thing release him and he fell to the ground.

He was righted before he struck the floor and he landed softly on his feet. He looked up at the ceiling.

Devil's Snare! The plant covered the entire ceiling, and it seemed to wave as it tried to hide from the light. Severus must have placed it there as a defense for his home. As if anyone would come here.

"Why do you have that?" Harry asked pointing to it.

"Just a precaution," Severus said, picking up something from the floor and handing it to Harry. It was his wand. Harry put his wand back in the holster strapped to his arm.

Severus waved his wand again and Harry was sure he was disabling several other defenses within the home.

"An auror came yesterday," Severus explained. "Not long after you left. Broke my door down and practically searched the place. I removed any trace of my being here. Yours as well."

"How were you not seen?" Harry asked.

"I can still fly in this world, too."

Harry nodded, remembering when McGonagall had driven Severus out of Hogwarts.

"I watched in the trees nearby," Severus continued. He looked at his watch and frowned at Harry. "I see 'first thing in the morning' means more like mid-morning to you."

"I'm sorry," Harry put his hands up defensively. "I got held up with my friends and . . ."

"That's not a first."

"Really? We're going to dwell on this? Did you want to go to Diagon Alley or not?"

"I do. But first, come with me."

Harry followed Severus out of the living room, through the kitchen, and to a closed door. Severus kept his wand lit since never turned a light on and Harry wondered if there was more Devil's snare throughout the first level of the home or if Severus just wanted to make the house look empty. Severus opened the door and flipped a switch and a stairway lit up, as well as the basement. Severus noxed his wand and walked down the stairs, Harry following. He would have to speak to the auror department and hopefully convince them to leave this house alone.

Harry looked around the basement. It had been turned into a potions lab – with shelves of vials and containers and tables of cauldrons with potions books and journals littering the chairs, floor, and unoccupied tables. A desk sat in a far corner and had the old ancient potions book opened to a certain page with a purple hue emitting off the pages. There was also a bed in the farthest corner past the desk. Harry figured Severus moved down here to sleep. There was only one simmering cauldron on one of the many tables.

"What are you making?" Harry asked looking in the cauldron of the simmering potion.

"Get away from it," Severus said, motioning Harry to come over to the desk where he was. "Something that will hopefully help us if it brews successfully."

Harry reluctantly left the mysterious potion and stood next to Severus in front of the desk. Severus held up a parchment with a list on it.

"This is our shopping list," Severus informed handing the parchment to Harry. "For the Wishing Potion."

Harry looked down at the list.

 _Unicorn horn dust_

 _Chopped basil_

 _Rabbit bones (preferably grated)_

 _Moonstone_

 _Fish blood_

 _Pomegranate wine_

 _Aconite_

 _Dragon teeth_

 _Extreme temperature capable cauldron_

Harry recognized all the ingredients for the wishing potion from the previous world. He knew the first five were to create the luck and desire part of the potion, while the last two strengthened and gave the potion its power. The dragon tooth especially, since it is an ingredient listed in the ancient magic potion book. And Harry knew personally the magic a dragon tooth held thanks to Sam.

During his second year, Harry had been given Sam's tooth necklace for protection (though Sam was very reluctant to entrust him with it), and Harry learned that the tooth did more than just protect the wearer – it gave the wearer whatever he wanted to an extent, and all one had to do was grip the tooth firmly and demand something. When Harry tried testing it (against Sam's wishes), he asked the tooth for a few galleons and the tooth produced a map on how to rob Gringotts, detailing where every security guard was and worse, every murder and kill that would need to happen. Harry had burned the parchment and it was then that he realized how powerful and dark the tooth's magic was.

Harry did ultimately abuse the power of the tooth a couple times that year, which infuriated Sam and after the problem at Hogwarts had been resolved, Sam took the necklace back and Harry was never allowed to touch it again.

"Think you can handle that?" Severus broke through his reverie. Harry snapped his head up and looked at Severus. Severus's knee and upper thigh was shimmering, but it ended by the time Harry had gotten a good look. Severus must have simply ignored it.

"Yeah, I got it," Harry said. "You don't have any of this down here on your shelves?"

"Not in sufficient quantities or the best quality," Severus answered. "And I have no dragon teeth. And if you remember what I taught you, those are rare to come by. We may need to see a dragonologist."

"Lucky for you, I know one," Harry said. "Do you have an owl or something and I'll send Charlie a letter now so we can get them as fast as possible. I'm sure he'll be willing to send a few for me."

Severus just stared at Harry for a moment before raising an eyebrow at him, still silent.

Then it hit Harry. The Severus Snape here was dead. Even if there had been an owl, it was probably sold off or living free in the wild. Or possibly dead. Harry felt stupid for asking.

"Right," Harry said slowly. "I guess it can wait till we get an owl. I'll add that to this list."

Harry found a quill on the desk and scribbled 'owl' under the cauldron.

"You don't have an owl?" Severus asked.

"No, mine was killed during the war and I haven't really looked into getting another one yet."

"That's fine. We'll buy one here and send it off immediately. Are you ready?"

* * *

After apparating to Diagon Alley, Harry walked with Severus to Gringotts to withdraw money. Severus waited for Harry outside until he returned, wearing his long, black cloak with the hood up. They stopped at the Eeylops Owl Emporium first. Severus stayed near the exit of the store as Harry browsed the different cages. Harry figured he might as well as pick a good owl in case they never managed to solve this problem. None of the owls stood out to him, however. They all seemed so uninterested.

"Stop it!" he heard Severus hiss.

Harry spun around to see Severus wave a hand at the beak of an owl in a cage near him. It was a barn owl nipping at the man's cloak.

"Get!" Severus hissed again, pulling his cloak away from the bird and moving away. The owl hooted to him, staring curiously with big eyes, pale brown feathers, and a heart-shaped white face.

Harry smiled and walked over to the owl's cage, looking at the tag attached to it.

"Tell me you're not considering him, are you?" Severus sneered.

"It's a she," Harry informed. "And I think she likes you."

"We are not going to be around long enough to bond with these things, we just need one for communication purposes."

"I know. But I think having a friendly bird would be better than a distant one."

Severus sighed, "Fine. Buy the bird. Hurry up, we have more important stores to get to."

Harry took the cage to the front and paid for the barn owl. He and Severus moved into a nearby alley and opened the cage. The little barn owl immediately flew to Severus and landed on his shoulder.

"I told you she likes you," Harry smirked.

Severus growled under his breath but pulled a small rolled up parchment from his robes and handed it to the owl. Harry frowned.

"Wait, you already have a note? To Charlie?"

"I figured I might as well as write one while you were down withdrawing money. Don't worry, it sounds like its coming from you."

"I bet it does," Harry mumbled sarcastically. "We need to name her first."

"We do not."

"Do too!"

"I'm not arguing with you."

"Then just name her something. Or I will. And I will spend the rest of the day thinking up of a really good name. She's a girl, so maybe . . . April? Nah, how about Lily? Or Lily Bell? Bella? Or Honey? That one's cute. Or maybe . . ."

"Fine!" Severus snapped, the bird on his shoulder jumping slightly. "Her name's Chantilly."

"Chantilly?" Harry questioned, but Severus was speaking to the owl.

"Chantilly, take this to Charlie Weasley. Wait for him to give you a package before leaving."

Severus handed the note to Chantilly, who gladly accepted and flew off. Harry was always amazed at how the owls just knew what to do and where to go.

"It'll be a long trip," Harry said. "She may not return till tonight. Chantilly?"

"It was the name of my first owl," Severus explained. "It also happens to mean whipped cream in French."

"That's a great name," Harry decided. "I like the sound of it. Chantilly. Chantilly."

Severus rolled his eyes as Harry said the name in different ways.

"Let's go, Harry."

"I'm coming."

The two visited different apothecaries to find the different ingredients, placing them in special holders to be shrunken and placed in pockets. They had found the moonstone, unicorn horn dust, and basil quickly and were now looking at wine bottles.

"Look for the latest dates on the bottles," Severus said. "We need the freshest wine, that will have the best quality than anything a week old."

"You'd think the older wine would be better," Harry thought aloud.

"Wine doesn't age like whiskey, Harry."

"I see that now."

"You can always try to age wine if you wish. And if you like stale flavors."

"I think I'll pass."

They gathered five bottles of wine, found the rabbit bones and fish blood and finally chanced upon the aconite. They bought everything in excess so Severus would have enough to make as many potions as he could. Harry paid for everything at the counters while Severus stayed back and avoided getting too close to people.

After finding the cauldron they needed and buying eight, Severus decided to make one last trip to Knockturn Alley.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"I just want to see if there may be any dragon supplies. You never know what your friend may do or if he will give you any. And we cannot put our complete trust in a bird, you know."

Harry tried to stay close to Severus as they entered Knockturn Alley, which was unusually busy. People were shoving by with carts of items to sell, some people in a hurry to move past the slower walkers, and some were just in a foul mood. Harry felt distracted by the interesting artifacts, but he knew the items were of dark origin. After pausing to look at a shop that sold several urn-looking things, Harry looked up to see that Severus was long gone.

"Bloody hell, he moves fast," Harry cursed, looking around the alley.

People stared at him suspiciously as Harry swung his head around to look for Severus, trying his best to look over shoulders. Why did the man have to move so quickly? Harry hoped his scar was covered enough, not wanting any trouble from these people. The benefit of being Harry Snape was he didn't have the stupid scar on his forehead.

Harry moved down the alley, still looking for Severus. He nearly fell over as he collided with someone and he heard glass shatter. Harry caught himself and looked up at who he had run into and knocked bottles out of.

The man was huge – not Hagrid huge – but he was definitely larger than Severus in height and weight. The man towered over Harry with buff arms, unhappy with his loss of . . . firewhiskey, perhaps. Whatever Harry had made the man drop, it was expensive and this man probably wouldn't accept just an apology.

"I'm sorry for running into you," Harry tried anyway, "I can pay for whatever that was. Just name the price."

Harry realized that the man already had his wand out and he raised it at Harry. Harry gulped, knowing he should have had his own wand out when he entered this place with Severus. He'd never be able to pull his wand out quick enough now without getting blasted.

Suddenly, something white flew past Harry, turning red as it hit the man in the chest, knocking him down. A wolf-sized three-tailed fox snarled down at the large wizard, seizing the wand in his teeth and tossing it aside.

Sam! Harry thought happily in his head, a smile forming on his face.

The fox jumped off the man, pausing to snarl one last time before leaping towards Harry.

"Sam!" Harry cried, falling to his knees and embracing the fox. Sam put his forepaws on Harry's shoulders and nuzzled his head against Harry's, knocking Harry over as he did so. Harry laughed and stroked Sam's fur, rubbing his hands along the fox's sides. Sam whined happily, something the fox rarely did. How was Sam even alive? Harry didn't care, he was just happy to see his old friend.

"Is that thing supposed to be your familiar?" The man said, now standing to his feet. A crowd had formed to watch the strange encounter.

Harry pushed Sam off and stood to his feet, adjusting his glasses. Sam snarled at the man, his ears flattening on his head as he showed off his canines.

"He is," Harry answered. "And I wouldn't try anything while he's around."

The man sneered at the fox, seemingly weighing his options. He sighed, saying "fine, just watch where you're going. That firewhiskey was expensive!"

"And I'm willing to pay every sickle that was lost, just . . ."

"I don't want your money!" the man snapped angrily. "Get out of here! Leave me be!"

"Yes, sir – sorry, sir," Harry backed away and turned. "Come, Sam."

The crowd parted as they watched Harry and Sam, probably staring at Sam more than Harry.

"Harry!" Severus's voice came from down the alley more. Severus was walking their way and Harry smiled.

"Look who came to join the party!" Harry said when they were close enough.

Sam jumped up on Severus and the man ran his hands down the fox's head and back. Sam's three tails gave a single wag, and his ears pivoted sideways when Severus's hand passed over his head.

"It's good to see you, too, Sam," Severus smiled under his hood.

Sam returned to all fours and stood by Harry.

 _: I've been searching for you nonstop, Harry. And I find you and your father. I thought you were supposed to be dead here._ Sam looked at Severus.

"Here, I guess I am supposed to be dead. I woke up in my own grave if that counts for anything. I keep my face hidden when out in public so no one freaks out and fires curses at me. And it's already happened as well."

"I thought you were dead, Sam," Harry said.

 _: I did wake up in a noose hanging from a tree. Not the most exciting experience. And I'm sure waking up in a coffin is no better._

"How'd you escape?" Harry asked.

 _: I'm resourceful._

"We need to leave," Severus said. "We are getting suspicious looks. We don't need any more attention drawn to us."

Severus led the way to an empty alley. He kneeled down to pull Sam close and Harry held on to Severus's arm and the three apparated to Spinner's end.

Once back at the shabby house, Severus cast a lumos to keep the Devil's snare back and led the way downstairs. Sam sniffed around, learning to navigate through the house and the basement. Harry was happy to see Sam once more, glad that Sam hadn't been murdered or suffered a painful death. He could only imagine what escaping a hangman's knot was like. Harry wasn't sure if he could have been as resourceful as Sam in such a situation.

Severus was studying the one simmering cauldron, peering at it closely. Harry walked up to him, looking down at the cloudy grey colored potion. It wasn't an appealing color, but it gave off a pleasant smell, surprisingly. A kind of freshly mowed grass smell, just a tint fainter.

"It's complete," Severus said. "It worked. I believe I have found our solution."

 _: Solution to what? Getting back to the alternate world?_ Sam trotted over to them, jumping up on the table and sitting in front of the cauldron, even though he was still wolf-sized.

"No," Severus shook his head. "The Wishing Potion will be brewed for that. This potion is a new creation. It looks like there's enough here to fill at leastt twenty vials. I will brew more, but we will each drink a measured vial each day. With the use of acacia petals, knotgrass leaves and stems, dragon blood, and a grated claw from a cheetah, this solution should slow down the shimmering and buy us more time while we work on the wishing potion."

As Severus said this, Sam's head starting shimmering. The fox flicked his ears and shook his head at the annoying feeling. It stopped after a minute.

"Here." Severus used his wand to summon several shot-sized vials to the table, but he only filled three. He attached a syringe like plunger to one of the vials and held it up.

"Harry, drink one of those," Severus pointed to the two vials sitting on the table. "Here Sam."

Sam stepped forward and allowed Severus to pry his mouth open the slightest bit before shooting the potion down his throat. Sam lapped what was still in his mouth, wrinkling his snout and fighting against the urge to spit.

Harry drank the potion quickly and nearly gagged. Regardless of the wonderful fumes it gave off, the potion tasted vile. Severus drank the remaining one, his face scrunching slightly at the taste.

 _: Now that one problem has been handled, care to inform me about what the plan is to return to the other reality?_

"Of course," Severus said. "Harry help me bottle these."

While Harry and Severus bottled the potion into the shot-sized vials, they explained what they had both experienced, their trip to Hogwarts and talking with Dumbledore, and then working together to get the ingredients. After they were finished, the vials were bottled and they sat in chairs summoned from the living room while Sam explained how he had cut himself free from the tree, traveled out of Japan, through China and various countries, sneaking on to planes when he could, and finally arriving to Diagon Alley. Sam was exhausted and told his story while lying down on a transfigured dog bed, resting his head down on his paws. Severus had summoned tea and a late snack since they had forgone lunch. Sam ate a few of the mini ham and cheese sandwiches and lapped at a bowl of tea.

There was a loud tapping noise upstairs and Severus shushed everyone, pulling out his wand.

Severus slowly advanced up the stairs, wand at the ready and Harry waited at the bottom of the stairs, listening. After a long moment, Harry heard footsteps coming back down and glanced up the stairway.

"Look who made it back," Severus held up his arm to reveal Chantilly. The barn owl hooted and nuzzled up against Severus, tired from her journey but content. In Severus's hand was a package with a note attached. Severus handed the note to Harry and continued to his desk with the package.

Harry looked at the note.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Here are nine dragon teeth free of charge. They were all I could collect. I'd like to know what you plan on using them for, but since you told me that it was confidential and auror related, I will trust that you have good intentions with them. Good luck with this mission you are on. Keep in touch!_

 _Charlie Weasley_

"They're perfect," Harry heard Severus say.

Harry looked over at the desk where Severus was standing looking into the package of teeth. "Good contact, Harry."

Harry smiled and walked over to the desk to see the large, slightly yellowed teeth. He noticed that Severus had created an owl perch with a pan underneath and attached food and water bowls for Chantilly, who was enjoying her owl food. Harry stroked the bird's head.

"Good job, girl," Harry praised.

"A good job, indeed," Severus agreed. He looked down at his watch then turned to Harry. "I suppose you want to leave before six o'clock, correct?"

"That would be best," Harry said. "I'm sorry, I wish I could stay, but that would seem too odd and my friends are already concerned about me."

Severus pulled Harry into an embrace. "I understand," he said.

"Bye, Dad," Harry returned the hug. "I'll be back tomorrow to help you."

"I'll see you then, Harry."

Once they released, Harry backed up and prepared to apparate. Sam leaped off his bed and trotted up to Harry, ready to leave with him.

"No, Sam!" Harry held up a hand to the fox. Sam paused mid-step, lowering himself slightly, his ears falling back. Harry sighed and stepped over to the fox, stroking his head. "I'm sorry, but you can't come with me. It would be too confusing to explain you. Stay here with Dad."

 _: I understand,_ Sam said, allowing a few more pets on his head before returning to his dog bed, though he didn't look too happy.

Harry sighed. He'd be back tomorrow. He smiled at every one last time before apparating away to Grimmauld Place, where Ginny was happy to see him home on time and together they ate dinner.

* * *

Acacia – a flower associated with immortality of the soul, Knotgrass – was believed to halt the growth of animals in medieval England (for this case, halt the growth of the shimmering), Dragon blood – one of the twelve uses is as a potion strengthener (or so sources tell me), claws of a cheetah – it should be no surprise that cheetahs often symbolize accelerating time and speed

Just some fun facts. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Tell me what your thoughts are!


	7. Raising Suspicions

Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

After breakfast with Ginny, Harry found himself stuck going over invitation card designs. Ginny loved the floral design, but also admired the polka dots and the roses. She said the floral was a little more fancy and formal, while the polka dots had a more inviting, playful feel. But the roses symbolized eternal love and made a beautiful card. She wanted Harry's opinion now on which card he thought was better for them. Harry groaned and stared at the cards, not really carrying what the heck the invitation cards looked like.

Finally, they settled on the rose cards. But then Ginny wanted his opinion on a color theme. She wanted the groomsmen to have roses matching the colors of the bridesmaid dresses. Harry once again didn't really care what color the ladies wore since Ginny would be the most stunning and all that really mattered. Ginny was flattered, but insisted that Harry picked a color. Groaning, Harry decided that he liked the red the best. Very Gryffindor, he couldn't help but think.

Finally, Ginny let him leave and Harry quickly apparated to Spinner's End. He quickly walked into the house, using the spell Severus taught him to disarm the defenses. He made his way to the basement and was greeted first by Chantilly.

The barn owl flew from her perch and landed on Harry's shoulder, cooing happily at him as he stroked her head.

"Hey, Chantilly," Harry greeted. "Keeping Dad and Sam company?"

Chantilly hooted and flew back to her perch, drinking some water from the bowl before her.

"Harry, quit playing with the bird and get over here!" Severus snapped.

"Good morning to you, too, Dad," Harry smiled.

Harry walked over to where Severus was standing over three boiling cauldrons. He looked at all the ingredients set out and at the bubbling, reddish liquid in the cauldrons. The smell reminded Harry of fish and he figured that the prominent ingredient in each pot was the fish blood. Harry wrinkled his nose at the smell, contorting his face slightly. He remembered an incident where the fumes of this near-complete potion had caused him to upchuck, resulting in him ruining his father's potion. It was also the day he had met Sam.

"You couldn't think to arrive here a little sooner, could you?" Severus asked as he set up three more cauldrons and filled them part way with water and then the rest of the way with fish blood before setting them to boil, using his wand to create a stove like surface on the table.

"Hey, I'm here now," Harry smiled. "So, just tell me what needs to be done and I'll get to it."

"You can start by grating those rabbit bones," Severus pointed at a container of bones sitting near a cutting board. Harry pulled his sleeves up and stood before the station.

"Where's Sam at?" he asked as he opened the container and studied the tool that reminded him of a cheese grater.

"Finding some mint leaves outside for me," Severus answered as he prepared another three cauldrons.

"What for, the potion?" Harry looked up as he rubbed the bones against the grater. "I don't remember you using mint in this potion."

"I never did," Severus confirmed. "And I still won't. I was thinking it could be a cheap ingredient for tea."

"Oh," Harry laughed. Cheap meaning backyard free, he thought.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Severus came over to stand by Harry and looked down at what the younger man was doing.

"Grating bones like you asked," Harry answered, frowning slightly. Was he doing it wrong?

"You're shaving the bones, not grating them," Severus said, picking up a pinch of the powdery substance pile and rubbing it between his index and thumb. "It takes a little strength, but you want it to come out in strips not powder. Here, let me show you."

Severus took the grater and pushed the bone down on the tool, creating strips of grated bones, reminding Harry of strings of white cheese. Harry wondered why he didn't remember how to grate ingredients. Severus made it look easy and he was sure he had grated bones before in his teen years.

"Why don't you mince the basil for me?" Severus suggested as he continued grating the bones.

"Okay," Harry moved over to the chopped basil container and opened it. He picked up the knife and had a brief feeling of awkwardness as he thought about how to mince something. He's helped his father create thousands of potions in his lifetime, why did he feel like he couldn't –

Oh, no!

Harry's eyes widened as he realized he had lost all of Harry Snape's skills with potion brewing and was right back to his sad level of skills in potions as Harry Potter. Harry sighed and wondered how hard mincing could be. It was just making basil smaller, wasn't it? Harry began cutting up the basil, enjoying the fumes it gave off – that minty, peppery smell Harry would always remember. He hadn't been at it for long when he felt a presence behind him.

"Now what are you doing?" Severus asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

"I'm mincing," Harry answered, looking over at Severus. The man shook his head, a strand of hair flying in his face which he pushed back.

"No," Severus said, "you're chopping chopped basil. You're not even dicing it. You're just chopping it more than what it already was."

"Fine," Harry dropped the knife and backed up. "You do it then."

"Don't get frustrated with me," Severus glared at Harry. "Why don't you grind the dragon teeth? That shouldn't be . . ."

"No!" Harry shouted exasperated. "I can't. You're going to say it's not that hard, but I'm going to make it more difficult than it really is. And then you'll come over and correct me. I can't do potions in this reality!"

"Brew," Severus said.

"What!?"

"Brew. You can't brew potions in this reality. Obviously."

"Ugh," Harry growled, annoyed at Severus. He felt frustrated that he was proving useless.

 _: I've brought tea,_ Sam, wolf-sized, announced as he entered the room, two cups, a pot of tea and a bowl floating behind him. _Morning, Harry. Mint tea?_

Harry sighed and snatched a cup from the air. Severus took the other cup while the bowl floated to the ground. Severus filled the cups and then Sam's bowl with tea from the steaming pot before taking a long sip of the strong drink. Harry followed his lead, and Sam lapping noisily at his.

"Harry," Severus began, setting the teacup down.

"Look," Harry interrupted. "I know I'm useless down here, but if you need me to do anything other than potion making – brewing – whatever, I'll get it done for you. I just don't think I'll be any help with this – I'll probably just ruin something or get in your way."

"While brewing nine potions alone will be exceptionally difficult," Severus said, crossing his arms and leaning against the table, "I guess you're right. I can't risk a ruined potion – not as valuable as these. I'm not sure what you can do for me down here, though, unless you'd simply like to keep Chantilly company."

Chantilly lifted her head from where she had it tucked under her wing and hooted at the sound of her name. Harry smiled at her, but the owl really didn't need his company. All she was probably interested in doing was sleeping if not receiving the occasionally head scratch.

"No," Harry looked down, feeling worthless in helping with the situation he caused.

 _: There's no food in this house,_ Sam informed from where he sat, flicking his black-tipped ears. _We could go find lunch._

"There's an idea," Severus smiled at Sam, then at Harry. "You can go find lunch for us. I'll work on the potions. Take Sam with you – he's getting a bit cramped here."

"Okay," Harry started towards the door, Sam happily at his heels. "I'll be back later, I guess. What do you want?"

"Anything will do, son," Severus answered as he returned to preparing ingredients.

As Harry stepped outside of the wilting house, avoiding the several traps Severus had set up, he heard a loud crack. It sounded like someone had just disapparated. Sam snarled in the direction it sounded, his ears flattening and his teeth bared. Harry followed Sam's gaze, but there was no one there. It reminded Harry that Aurors were still investigating Severus's sighting from Hogwarts and the graveyard. The house was still under suspicion. Harry would have to make a quick stop at the Auror Department. That gave him something to do and it was something he was good at.

* * *

As Harry walked to his department, he carefully thought over what he would say. He couldn't just tell everyone to forget about the case; that it was all solved and nothing to worry about. No, he would have to think a bit more strategic than that. He needed to divert attention away from Severus long enough for those potions to brew. Harry thought his words over and over.

 _: Your thoughts are getting a little disorderly,_ Sam informed from his hidden pocket inside Harry's robes, the size of a kitten now. _Are you sure you can pull this off?_

"Have a little faith in me, Sam," Harry whispered through his teeth. "They'll listen to me. I was the Chosen One who fights against all dark arts. They'll listen. Besides, it's my job."

 _: Just because it's your job doesn't mean you are good at it,_ Sam snarled softly. _That would be like hiring a first-time assassin and expecting him not to make a bloody mess of everything._

"Can you ever use examples that don't involve assassins, murder, or blood?"

 _: I could, but what fun would that be._

"Shh," Harry shushed as he neared the Head Auror's office. Harry knocked on the door.

"It's open," came a gruff voice from within.

Harry stepped into the office, a large room but with no windows; the only light being that of the lanterns and a few floating candles. The man at the desk, a broad-shouldered man with blond hair and a five o'clock shadow, was busy working on a load of paperwork in front of him. The man looked up, revealing light brown eyes.

"Potter," the man greeted. He pointed at the vacant seat in front of his desk with his quill. "Sit."

Harry quickly sat down in front of the desk, clearing his throat a little louder than he meant to.

"Good morning, Robards," Harry smiled. "I have information on the ghost appearances that have happened at Hogwarts and the graveyard."

"I'm sure you do," came a new voice from a dark corner of the room. A man stepped out of the shadows, revealing a tall, slender figure with brown hair and eyes, a clean-shaven face and thick, bushy brows.

"Proudfoot," Harry greeted with a bit of an edge in his voice.

"I just want to say that I just came from Spinner's End," Proudfoot smiled maliciously at Harry. "Imagine my surprise when I see the great Harry Potter walk in for an hour before exiting. How . . . suspicious, wouldn't you say?"

Harry glared at Proudfoot and he felt Sam shift slightly in the hidden pocket. So, it had been Proudfoot that had disapparated near the house. He had been spying on Harry and Spinner's End.

"Proudfoot was explaining the odd activity at Spinner's End to me," Robards said, abandoning his paperwork and looking at Harry. "He said a couple days ago he had seen a man enter the house and a light was on. He explored the house and saw that books and furniture had been moved, but he couldn't find any people. Then, yesterday, he saw you enter the house but never come back out. He went in to investigate and found himself trapped in Devil's Snare. After freeing himself from that, he began sinking into the carpet like . . . quicksand, you said? Anyway, he was also nearly suffocated when ropes wrapped around him as he tried to leave the house."

Harry listened to Robards carefully, wondering where all of this was going. He had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing at Proudfoot's misfortunes with Severus's creative yet effective traps. Yesterday, he and Severus had gone to Diagon Alley, so that would explain why they never heard his struggles.

"And today," Robards continued, "he saw you enter and leave within an hour."

"Yes, sir," Harry confirmed, "I've been investigating the house along with Hogwarts and the graveyard. Though, with a bit more luck, I should say."

Proudfoot glared at Harry, moving to stand next to Robards' desk.

"May I ask what you have discovered at Spinner's End?" Robards asked.

"I was waiting for you to ask that," Harry smiled, though in his head, he was quickly putting together a story. "After visiting Hogwarts and the graveyard, I put together what descriptions and evidence I had managed to collect and pieced that Severus Snape may be this 'ghost.' I decided the next step was to stop by this man's home and I went inside."

"And never came back out?" Proudfoot demanded.

"I can apparate, Proudfoot," Harry said. Proudfoot's glare deepened. Harry continued.

"Anyway, I also encountered Devil's Snare. I freed myself from it and I also began sinking into the carpet. I . . . used my patronus to help get me around these dark defenses and to the little bookshelf where I noticed books had been opened. I looked through the books, but they were just about potions and ingredients. I tried to wrap my head around it, but I couldn't think of any potions that used those ingredients."

Proudfoot sniffed, "because you are so knowledgeable in that subject."

"At least I made it farther in the house than you," Harry snapped. "And you're right, I didn't come back out, I checked the rest of the house, avoiding the other defenses with my patronus, and concluded that there was no one around. Then, I left. I returned this morning for another check, but found nothing once more."

"You walked out of the house with something," Proudfoot accused, pointing a finger at Harry. "Something red."

"There was . . . an animal trapped inside," Harry tried not to wince at the sad answer. "Which brings me to my next point. The house is just as magical as Hogwarts. I believe that, while Severus Snape fought for the greater good, he was still a very dark wizard with many dark artifacts. The house has not been lived in for years, which would explain the growth of the Devil's Snare and the sudden odd activity."

"Why wasn't the Devil's Snare there the first time Proudfoot went in?" Robards asked.

"My guess is that it was in a different section of the house and human activity attracted it to move. Did you happen to explore the attic?"

Proudfoot sneered at Harry, which meant to Harry a no.

"After my quick investigation this morning, I concluded that if this ghost is Severus Snape, he may have gone to Spinner's End briefly, but he hasn't been around the times I checked, so I'm thinking about looking into the Prince Manors. Perhaps there are ghost relations of his he would rather be in the company of. His mother even."

The idea had just jumped into Harry's mind and he liked it and was going with it. Robards nodded in thought, but Proudfoot looked furious.

"You liar!" the man snapped. "Can you believe this? He is trying to pull our attention away from this house – he is clearly involved in whatever is going on with this ghost nonsense!"

"Calm down, Proudfoot," Robards held up a hand to the ranting man, closing his eyes briefly. "Potter, you make an interesting point. I have forgotten that Snape was of Prince descent. However, if you believe that there are dark objects taking over this house, it's place in a muggle neighborhood is perilous and the house needs to be raided and destroyed."

"I understand, sir," Harry nodded, "but the house seems to be destroying itself . . ."

"No, Potter," Robards interrupted. "It needs to be destroyed soon. We cannot risk a muggle curiously entering the house."

"Yes, sir. I'll get a team on it."

"And for Proudfoot's concerns, how invested are you into this . . . ghost?"

Harry blinked before leaning over and asking, "excuse me, sir?"

Robards opened his mouth but Proudfoot spoke instead.

"What he means is how closely involved were you with the living Severus Snape? What sort of relationship did you have with him? Obviously, he was your professor, but you didn't want his portrait taken down in the headmaster's office when he died."

"He died a hero!" Harry snapped. "He did more for the light side during the war than any of us! He deserved to have his portrait hanging."

"You see this!?" Proudfoot pointed at Harry accusingly. "If this is Snape, obviously, Harry would respect the ghost enough to help him, even after the man's dark past. The man deserves to be a ghost in Harry's eyes!"

"Proudfoot," Robards growled in warning. Proudfoot backed away from the Head Auror's desk, still shooting daggers at Harry.

"Potter," Robards looked at Harry, "I need you to be honest with me. Are you involved in any of these dark arts going on?"

"I am not, sir."

"How can I know that for sure?"

"You'll just have to trust me."

"Trust you?" Proudfoot snarled. "You have my word that I'll be watching your every move, Potter. You are my number one suspect."

Harry glared at Proudfoot, but then realized that Robards had said nothing against the spying. Usually, one needed the Head's permission before performing any kind of mission, and while Robards seemed all for Harry's idea, he also seemed for allowing Proudfoot to continue his own investigation on Harry. Harry stared at Robards with wide eyes.

"You're allowing him?" Harry asked.

"It seems that there are several possibilities of what could be going on," Robards said. "Yes, I'm allowing Proudfoot to continue his investigation while you do yours. Someone will uncover something. I don't care which of you, but Potter, if Proudfoot is correct in his suspicions and you are involved in this, the consequences will be severe."

"Yes, sir," Harry growled under his breath. Now he had to worry about the hawk trailing him everywhere. Just wonderful. Harry stood up and prepared to leave the office, but Proudfoot rushed forward and grabbed his arm.

"And remember, Potter, I'll be watching you. Every day, every night," Proudfoot tightened his grip on Harry's arm and Harry was sure the man would leave a bruise. "You better watch your back and your moves cause I'm tracking them. And I will expose you and your ghost friend. And you will be off this team faster than you can catch a Snitch."

Proudfoot's hand had tightened to an even more painful level and Harry breathed in harshly through his nose, glaring at the man.

Suddenly, a white mist flew out of Harry's robes and launched at Proudfoot, turning into wolf-sized Sam as it struck the man's chest and knocked them both to the ground. Sam pinned the man down, snarling at him, his yellow eyes staring into the man's terrified brown ones.

Harry stared in shock at Sam's sudden attack and Robards jumped to his feet with his wand aimed at Sam. Harry snapped out of his stupor and held up a hand at Robards.

"No!" Harry said. "Sam, stand down."

Sam glanced at Harry and Robards with just his eyes, not moving his head off Proudfoot. Slowly, Sam backed off of the auror and stood at Harry's side, the white tips of his tails flicking opposite of each other.

"Potter," Robards gasped, staring at Sam in astonishment.

"I knew it!" Proudfoot stood to his feet. "Look at that dark creature! It nearly killed me!"

Harry wasn't sure what to do or say to explain Sam, so he quickly turned and left the office, Sam at his heels. Other Aurors backed away as he passed, gasping at Sam and wondering what had occurred in the Head's office.

Harry left the department and pulled Sam close to apparate to Hogsmeade, where he went to The Three Broomsticks, sitting down at a secluded table with Sam across from him.

"You shouldn't have done that, Sam," Harry said.

 _: I was protecting you,_ Sam growled. _It is still my job whether you like it or not._

"I was fine! You didn't need to jump on the man like that!" Harry shouted at the fox.

Heads turned and looked their way and, realizing how crazy he must look yelling at a fox, Harry stopped talking and just seethed at the wooden tabletop.

 _: Look, I'm sorry if my protecting you cost you some suspicion, but it was more instinct than anything else. You did say that you saved an animal._

"Yeah," Harry snorted, "a dark creature as Proudfoot wonderfully put it."

Sam sighed and rested his head on the table. A server stopped by their table and took drink orders and left to retrieve them. Harry ordered a couple bottles of firewhiskeys, hopefully Severus was interested in a couple shots. He sure needed a couple stiff drinks. Sam said nothing, just watched Harry with his head on the table.

"Want anything to drink or eat, Sam?" Harry asked.

 _: Just some good meat will do._

Harry decided he'd order fish and chips for everyone, maybe a steak of some sort for Sam. The server returned and took Harry's order.

"Harry!"

Harry looked over his shoulder to see Ron coming to the table. Ron stopped in front of them and stared curiously at Sam, who merely lifted his head and stared back.

"Hey, Ron," Harry greeted.

"Hey," Ron returned. "That is a . . . erm, big fox you've got there."

"He's a kitsune. Sam."

 _: Ronald_ , Sam dipped his head briefly.

"And it speaks," Ron commented, finally looking away from the odd creature and at Harry. "So, where did you get him?"

"It's a long story," Harry sighed.

"I've got time," Ron pulled up a chair and sat at the end of the table. "He's kind of cool. What are you doing here alone, anyway?"

"Just taking a break," Harry said. "Getting some lunch. I just came from Robards' office and we didn't really have a great conversation. Proudfoot was there and being a . . . well, you know Proudfoot."

"Yep," Ron nodded his head. "So, what were you talking about with them?"

"Just an investigation I'm doing. You remember the Hogwarts situation – you recommended it to me. It got a little out of hand. I'm now under investigation by Proudfoot because he thinks I'm somehow involved in this whole ghost thing."

"So, where did you get the fox?"

"I . . . rescued him from Spinner's End. He was exploring the abandoned house and was stuck in the sinking carpet."

"Interesting," Ron sat up in his seat and pulled the chair a little closer to the table. "Is he friendly? Would you consider him a dark creature?"

"I think he's pretty nice. I don't know what branch his kind would fall under, but he's a good fox."

Harry frowned at Ron's questions and his behavior. Ron seemed a little too interested in Sam and how he came about the fox. Harry watched as the server returned with their food and the bill. Harry had asked for the food to be boxed so they could just leave. As he reached for his pouch of galleons and sickles, he noticed Ron studying the boxed food.

"That's a lot of food for you and a fox," Ron said, frowning.

"Ginny's at home," Harry glared at Ron as he counted out the price and handed the coins to the server, thanking her for her service.

"Right," Ron rubbed at his face. "I'm sorry, just curious. So, is this fox related to the whole Severus Snape thing?"

That phrase told Harry all he needed to know about Ron's inquiries. Harry glared even more at his friend, furious. Sam picked up on the change in emotion and his ears stood alert as he prepared himself to defend or flee with Harry.

"How do you know about Severus Snape being the issue?" Harry demanded.

Ron's eyes widened briefly but he pulled himself together and said, "Look, Robards told me what happened and just wanted to know more about the fox and, more importantly, where your loyalties lie."

"So, Robards told you to interrogate me? Ron, I thought I could trust you!"

"I don't know if I can trust you, Harry! You've been acting weird these past couple of days, taking off for hours on end, leaving my poor sister home alone when she needs you! And now you have some kind of . . . magical creature that could be some horrible classification. Like, I don't know, a known wizard killer!"

 _: Hey, spot on,_ Sam smirked.

"Sam, not helpful," Harry snapped.

"Spot on," Ron muttered, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. "Just great – just bloody great, Harry. I'm just going to ask it! Are you involved in this dark magic going on right now? And don't lie to me Harry, please, we've been best friends for ages!"

"No, Ron, I'm not!" Harry snapped, collecting the food and drinks and shrinking them to fit in pockets. "And if you want to keep being friends, you'll let me do my job. Come, Sam."

Harry stood and left the table, Sam trotting at his side. He heard Ron slam his hands down on the table and his chair squealing as it slid back from Ron standing.

"I'm still an Auror, Harry!" Ron shouted. "This is my job, too! I can still make arrests!"

Harry turned to face Ron ad held his hands up.

"Then arrest me, Ron," Harry dared. "Arrest me."

Ron didn't move, just glared at Harry from where he stood. After an intense moment of glaring at each other, Harry lowered his hands and left the pub. He apparated away from Hogsmeade with Sam.

* * *

"And then I left with Sam after that. I feel terrible, but I hope Ron comes to understand," Harry told Severus as they ate the fish and chips. Sam was busy enjoying his steak and didn't say much about their little adventure. Severus had remained quiet and listened to Harry for the most part, leaving the small dining table to check on the potions occasionally.

"I believe," Severus began, giving a potion a stir before returning to the table and sitting once more, "that you may need to keep a low profile until I finish these potions. You are raising too much suspicion and it may be best to lay low. The potions should be ready in two days – the ingredients are working fast together. We just need to avoid any conflict in that time and we can be back in our reality."

 _: Good. I'm getting a little homesick in this world,_ Sam said over a mouthful of steak.

"You really don't like this reality, do you?" Harry asked the fox.

 _: Of course not. With good reasons._

Severus poured a shot of firewhiskey and took a sip. Harry stood and poured a shot of firewhiskey as well. Severus opened his mouth but then quickly shut it, shaking his head slightly.

"I keep forgetting you're not fifteen in this reality," the man smiled. Harry laughed.

"You must be dying to forbid me from having a drink."

"Slightly. It's kind of a reminder of how fast time flies and how fast you've grown up. Look at you, all grown and already destroying worlds."

"Haha, Dad."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed it. Please review!


	8. Raided

To all the reviews I couldn't respond to, Thanks! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

"Ginny is growing more concerned about me," Harry told Severus as he watched the man use his wand to stir all nine cauldrons simultaneously. "I think Ron talked to her thinking she knew what I might be up to. She asked me a lot of questions this morning about where I was going and what I may be doing. I hate to lie to her and drag her into this – she's innocent."

Harry sighed and took another bite of his turkey and cucumber sandwich, adjusting his chair closer to the table he was at. He remembered Severus always making this type of sandwich for him when he was younger and he had grown to really enjoy it. He had found a sandwich shop down the street and ordered a sandwich for himself, Severus, and Sam. Sam had gobbled down his triple-meat sandwich in seconds, while Severus seemed to pick at his turkey and cucumber, occasionally taking a bite while monitoring the potions. Harry was starting to wonder when the man had last slept.

"The potions should be finished tomorrow morning and then we can leave this reality," Severus said. "Can you hold out one more night?"

"That shouldn't be a problem," Harry smiled.

They were so close to finished. His stupid mistake was nearly fixed and he would be back in Hogwarts with his father and they could pretend that none of this had ever happened. Harry was sure he could distract the other Aurors and Ginny a little while longer – it was only a night.

Presently, it was midday. Harry had made sure he made a stop at one of the Prince estates, just in case Proudfoot had been watching. He wondered around the large, abandoned mansion for a while, showing genuine interest.

The estate he had visited had actually been one of the first Prince manors and it had also been where Eileen Snape, née Prince, had grown up. There were several paintings of Prince family members who glared at and questioned Harry's presence. He ignored them and focused on the strange artifacts in the house. He couldn't find a single lantern to light, so he used lumos instead, and even with the light from his wand, it was very dark – like Hogwarts at night.

The house did not offer much to look at or to learn. It may have been raided in previous years or had been abandoned for so long that common thieves took advantage and made off with any valuables, leaving behind the miserable portraits.

After exploring the manor, Harry made sure there was no magical presence nearby before apparating to Snape's basement, using the spell needed to get past the house's wards and defenses. When he told Severus where he had been, the man had immediately fired questions at him, demanding to know if he had touched anything or broken something in the manor. Harry sarcastically commented on Snape's never-dying trust in his own son.

The comment earned him a cuff to the back of the head.

"Good," Severus continued. "I'm sure by six am tomorrow, we'll be set to go. I may need to let it cool a bit, but I'm sure you won't mind a nice warm drink in the chilly morning."

Harry made a disgusted face. The potion already reeked enough to make him vomit – Severus had used a ventilation and odor blocking charm to take care of that instead of wearing a ventilator mask as he had done before.

"I think I'd rather pass," Harry said.

"You need to make the wish," Severus said. "So you'll just have to get over the taste."

"Why me?" Harry frowned.

"I've told you – since you got us in this mess, it'll be easier for you to wish your mistake away than for someone to fix it for you – as is the case in any situation."

"I'm glad you can turn this into a lesson about fixing past errors. It's so like you – always falling into teacher mode to teach me about some kind of ingredient or potion or a life lesson I'll probably forget in a week anyway."

"I don't think you'll forget this one. Besides, if you know your history, you're less likely to make it repeat itself."

"And there you go again," Harry smirked, motioning towards Severus. "Another great, memorable quote from the wonderful Severus Snape. Would you like that to go into a history book so others may know your wisdom?"

"Enough, young man," Severus scolded half-heartedly. "This is serious."

"I know, I know," Harry said, taking a nibble of his sandwich. "I just need to amuse myself somehow. There's nothing else I can do down here without screwing up something."

"You've been a great help," Severus insisted, finally sitting down at the table Harry was at and taking a bite of his barely started sandwich. "And I hope when we return, your potion skills return as well. If you prepared ingredients as you did in this reality, you'd receive a P from me. And a lot of remedial lessons."

"Good to know," Harry muttered. "If only you offered those in this reality. But no, all you wanted to do was insult me and my father, James, in any degrading way you could."

"I'm sure if that was the case, my relationship with James Potter never changed fifth year in this reality."

"No, I think it only got worse."

Harry and Severus ate their sandwiches in silent for a few moments, taking sips of water now and then. Harry finished his before Severus and watched Chantilly groom herself on her perch. He smiled at her.

"I wonder if I could wish for her to come back with us," Harry thought aloud.

Severus glanced back at Chantilly and then at Harry.

"I don't believe she's even alive at the present moment in our reality. She's pretty young and we are years behind. She wouldn't even be an egg."

"True," Harry agreed. "I'll miss her, then."

 _: I won't,_ Sam said as he entered the basement, shaking himself off, spraying water everywhere. Harry guessed that it was raining outside. _Do you know what that ball of feather fluff did to me?_

"No, I don't," Harry smiled, anticipating the story.

"You'll like this story," Severus smirked.

 _: Oh, I'm sure,_ Sam spat, licking his fur dry. Severus cast a drying charm at Sam. _Thanks. Well, after you left, Harry, we were all settling down for the night and that owl decided that my tails were mice or whatever and kept pecking at them. I finally hissed at her and she gives me the blankest look I've ever seen before pecking at me more. The nerve of that owl._

Harry laughed at the mental image.

"Did you help him?" he asked Severus.

"Of course, not," Severus answered.

 _: No, you were too busy laughing._

"And tending to the cauldrons," Severus defended.

 _: Couldn't spare a second to call off the stupid bird. So, I chased her back to her perch. I don't know how many times she came back to bite at my tails. I don't care if you like her or not, she's staying in this reality. Far away from me and my tails._

Harry laughed, watching Chantilly look curiously their way with large eyes, as if knowing she was the topic of their discussion.

* * *

Harry left the house again to visit another Prince Manor. He figured if Proudfoot was tracking him, he best be out and about – or at least look it.

This manor had belonged to a daughter of the Prince line and was considerably smaller than the first estate as it only had a first floor and a basement. The outside of the house looked ancient, ivy shooting up the sides, paint chipping off the door and a fenced in garden was taken over by weeds and shrubs. There was what might have been a beautiful white painted fence surrounding the house, but it was now brown with white spots and water-damaged. It appears this house wasn't in much better shape than Severus's house, if not worse shape. No one had probably lived in this manor for years.

When Harry stepped inside, it was for sure dusty, but there seemed to remain an ancient beauty inside. Painting hung on the walls, a clock chimed to announce the hour, and hand-woven blankets covered the furniture in the living room.

There were paintings of a happily married couple that Harry came by first, but the paintings didn't move. It seemed as if this Prince might have married a muggle as well. The lady wore a white gown and had long black hair, like Eileen and Severus. The man had brown hair and wore round glasses, looking very owl-eyed. A date was inscribed on the frame: 1960.

That was the year Severus had been born. Perhaps this was a younger sister of Eileen Prince – though she could have also been older and married late. Harry stared at the wedding painting for a moment longer before continuing.

As Harry wandered through the house, the paintings he saw began to tell a story. In one, the married couple were holding a baby between them, a little dark-haired girl in a pink dress. The baby had brown eyes like her father, and the date on the frame was 1962.

In another painting, the girl was a small child and stood in front of her parents who held another little brunette girl in a purple dress, the date 1966. Another painting lacked the parents but had the two older girls each holding a baby – twin boys it appeared – the date 1971. In the next painting, the entire family was together, with toddler boys, the two older girls, and a baby boy held between the parents, the date 1974. The oldest girl had a Hogwarts Slytherin uniform on and she looked nearly exactly like her mother, but now wore round glasses like her father.

Five kids, Harry thought. He wondered why he had never met this relation of Severus's. His question was answered as he searched the house further.

He found a large bedroom he believed to be the master. It was a mess inside. The bed was wrecked and a baby crib was knocked over, lying on its side with several broken bars. Sheets were torn and some ends looked burnt. Harry moved further down the hall and found that the back end of the house was in as much disarray as the master bedroom – contrary to how calm the house looked when he had entered.

Other rooms looked as though a fire had once engulfed it, the walls black and crispy, along with the beds and curtains and what looked like toys. The hallway also seemed to have spots that looked like something had blast into it, burning different spots. Harry came across a section of the wall that had a large hole, big enough to walk into, but it clearly had been the result of a missed curse that crumbled this section if the wall pieces on the floor was any indication.

Harry moved to the final room in the house, a large space completely in ruins that Harry wasn't sure what the room might have been used for. The walls were crumbled and scorched, the hard-wooden floor smeared with black ash and a redness Harry guessed was blood. His guess was confirmed when he looked up at the wall and his breath caught in his throat.

Largely written in blood on a scorched wall was: BLOOD TRAITER.

It must have been an attack on Eileen's sister, a pureblood who married a muggle instead of keeping what remained of the Prince line pure, especially after Eileen had also married a muggle before her. Harry stepped back and his eyes caught a horrific sight on the floor.

Amongst the black scorched floor, lighter patches of grey were visible – in the shapes of what looked to be bodies. Harry backed up more until he stood in the doorway and took in the sight.

In different areas on the floor and in different positions, there were six grey patches of varying sizes but all in the shape of bodies. Here were the remains of this family.

Harry covered his mouth and breathed. He studied the different sizes and made out one adult in the center of the floor, completely sprawled out. The shapes of two smaller patches against a wall were indistinguishable as far as limbs and heads, but they were close together, so Harry guessed the twins. A child-sized patch lay with an elbow bent outwards near the adult one in the center and Harry guessed one of the girls. He figured it was the younger girl when he found a larger child-sized patch in a corner of the room. This one looked as though the girl had been slightly curled up into a ball.

Finally, the last patch was oddly shaped, and Harry realized that this may be the mother holding the baby. It was in a separate corner of the room, curled up like the daughter, clinging to a bundle in her arms. Harry felt tears in his eyes and he quickly left the room, apparating away.

* * *

"You found my Aunt Malena's home," Severus explained when Harry recounted his visit. "She was a year younger than my mother and, as you saw, also married a muggle. She had originally been courted by a distant relative of the Black's, but she denied him and choose her husband."

"What happened to her?" Harry asked, cleaning his red eyes with another handkerchief.

"Her and her family were murdered by Death Eaters in 1974 during the Wizarding War, I believe what you call the First Wizarding War in this reality. Several muggleborns and wizards with relations to muggles were being murdered by Death eaters. Aurors believed that the wizard who had courted her all those years ago was one of the Death Eaters who killed her family."

"That's terrible! And all the bodies were still there. Like no one bothered to collect them and bury them."

"No. Their bodies were burnt to ash and dust by the time Aurors arrived."

"Were you close to them?"

"Not really," Severus frowned. "Aunt Malena would visit my mother every now and then, mostly for a holiday, like Christmas. I did get to know Jacqueline more when she entered Hogwarts. She was one of the smartest in her class until she was murdered halfway through her second year. I was fourteen when it happened."

"Jacqueline," Harry said softly, the image of the girl in the Hogwarts uniform from the painting jumping into his head. "She was in Slytherin with you."

"Well, not exactly with me, but yes, we were in the same house. I helped her with a few classes every now and then. She usually went by Jackie."

Harry cleaned his eyes a final time, pulling himself together. He had seen worst – why on earth was he carrying on about this so? But then Harry remembered that he had Harry Snape's age and it made sense. He shook his head and took a deep breath, ending his emotional episode.

"Are you alright, now?" Severus asked, patting Harry's back reassuringly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dad," Harry said. "Why have you never mentioned them before?"

"Just because I may not have been the closest with them doesn't mean their loss didn't hurt or affect me," Severus said. "Somethings are just hard to talk about and clearly it would have upset you."

Harry could understand that.

 _: I hate to ruin the sentimental moment, but we have company,_ Sam, wolf-sized, suddenly said.

"What do you mean we have company?" Severus frowned at the fox looking up the stairway.

 _: I mean_ , Sam growled back, _people are blasting through your defenses and making a loud ruckus._

"Oh, no!" Harry exclaimed. He looked at Severus. "I told the group I had gathered that we would raid your house tomorrow evening! When we would be long gone!"

 _: Does your group include your friend Ron or that Proudfoot man?_ Sam was leaning slightly and pivoting his ear as he listened up the stairs, his sharp hearing picking up the quiet whispers of men.

"No," Harry frowned. He suddenly heard a loud blast upstairs. Several footsteps moved around, heading towards the basement entryway.

"It seems to me that your group has a new leader," Severus said as he began moving around the basement, shoving remaining ingredients into robe pockets.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, standing and pulling his wand out.

"We need to evacuate and seek shelter elsewhere," Severus answered as he picked up an empty cauldron and shrunk it, putting it into a pocket.

"But the potions . . ." Harry looked at the nine bubbling cauldrons. "They're not finished and they're so close."

"We'll need to leave them," Severus sighed. "I have no way of saving one to bring with us."

Harry felt a huge surge of disappointment run course through his chest. If they were to leave them, that meant they would have to start over and wait another two day before they could leave this world and get home. Harry growled under his breath.

Sam barked up the stairs and breathed a flame up, earning loud shouts and several footsteps were heard running to the basement stairs. Sam breathed another flame but then water splashed in his face and knocked the fox backwards. Sam stood up and choked slightly on water as he shook himself and snarled towards the stairs.

Footsteps stormed down the stairs.

"I need to gather the remaining vials of the shimmer-stopping potion," Severus said, turning towards a cabinet. "You keep them back for a bit."

Harry nodded and looked at the stairway in time to see Ron, Proudfoot, and another Auror enter the room. Before the many others behind them could enter, a large near-transparent force-field blocked the entryway. Spells were thrown at it, but it did not break.

Sam, Harry thought, knowing the fox was probably invisible in the room. Harry knew the fox couldn't really create force-fields, so it must have been an illusion he was creating. One could still walk through it if they wanted, but Sam probably made the Aurors think that they were being shocked when they reached forward to touch it. But that meant Sam would be preoccupied with keeping the illusion up until someone broke through it, leaving Severus and Harry on their own.

Ron approached Harry, keeping his wand fixed on him while Proudfoot searched for Severus and the other Auror studied the potions. Harry also kept his wand on Ron.

"Harry!" Ron growled. "What are you doing here?"

"Ron, please," Harry said. "I know this looks bad, but I need you to trust me."

"Trust you?" Ron looked at the several bubbling potions. "I don't know you anymore, Harry! Have you gone dark? What are those!?" Ron gestured to the potions.

"I . . ." Harry remembered Albus's warning to never reveal the Second Chances Reality. "I can't tell you what or why they are being made. But if you leave them be and . . ."

"Leave them? Let you keep brewing an unknown, possibly illegal substance? I have to do what's right! I have to turn you in – you and this Snape ghost!"

Ron flicked his wand towards the tables of cauldrons. A spell blasted the tables and knocked all the cauldrons to the floor, spilling the reddish potion and ruining the hard work that had been done. Harry watched in despair as the potions burned into the floor, his one chance home destroyed. The Auror that had been examining the potions pulled out a vial and took a sample of the mess.

Meanwhile, Proudfoot slowly approached Severus from behind, watching the man shove several shot-sized vials of potions into inner robe pockets. He kept his wand on the man until he was close enough to cast any emergency spell he needed.

"Stop what you're doing!" Proudfoot commanded.

Severus froze as he reached for the last couple of vials in the cabinet. He slowly pulled away and held his hands up.

"Turn around!" Proudfoot shouted. "Slowly, Snape ghost!"

Severus huffed and rolled his eyes before slowly turning to face Proudfoot, glaring at the man. Proudfoot studied Severus cautiously, then reached forward and jabbed at Severus's chest twice with his wand. The man's eyes widened comically as he stepped back.

"Merlin's beard, you're alive!" Proudfoot gasped.

"I know," Severus agreed. "Shocked me, too."

Proudfoot frowned but before he could lift his wand, Sam collided with the man's chest, knocking him harshly to the ground. Proudfoot's head cracked against the hard floor and knocked him out cold.

"Thank you, Sam," Severus said, turning and gathering the last of the vials.

 _: The men figured out the force-field was all in their heads and broke through. Right now, their busy putting fires out. On each other._

An empty cauldron rolled their way and Severus snatched it and shrunk it, pocketing it. He ducked as Chantilly flew above his head, screeching once.

Chantilly flew towards the Aurors that were trying to help douse their flaming and rolling around friends. She dodged a few spells before slashing her talons at an Auror's face, successfully and painfully blinding him. The man cried out in pain. She dodged another spell aimed at her and snatched a wand from an Auror, snapping it in her beak before flying away from them, letting out a victorious screech as she flew over Harry and Ron.

"What are you plotting with this Snape ghost?" Ron demanded, inching closer to Harry, his wand still on him.

"Nothing!" Harry insisted, backing up with his wand still trained on Ron. "And he's not a ghost, Ron. He's as alive as you and me!"

"You mean to say . . ." Ron gulped, choking slightly. "You brought him back from the dead!"

"What!? No! It's nothing like that. Look, I . . . I wish I could tell you what's happened, but I can't! And I'm sorry for that –"

"Oh, I'm sure you are! You've been leaving my sister every day to come to . . . to this!? To help in something that definitely seems like dark magic! All those defenses upstairs? They weren't very light magic at all! And you claimed that dark artifacts were taking over this house when you and Snape have been in it all along! You liar!"

"Ron . . ."

"Don't say anything!" Ron demanded. Harry could see tears in the man's eyes, probable tears of frustration and hurt betrayal. "How else could Snape be here – alive! I was with you, Harry, I watched him die! All those nights ago, I was there! There's something wrong here - something wrong with you! It's all dark magic – all of it, and it's you – you've gone dark! You're turning into a dark wizard and I don't understand why, Harry! I don't understand."

"No, Ron, I'm not," Harry insisted. "Listen to me, I'm still . . ."

"Shut up! You have the right to remain to silent!"

Harry sighed as he watched his torn friend struggle to decide what the right thing was to do. Harry never wanted to bring his friends into this mess. What could he say to help himself? There was too much evidence that looked like dark magic and he really couldn't explain Severus's sudden resurrection. Nor could he explain Sam's presence or what the potion was. From Ron's point of view, it looked bad. Harry rolled his wand in his fingers. He didn't want to hurt Ron and he didn't want to seem like more of a traitor than he already was.

"What's happened to you, Harry?" Ron asked as he shook his head.

"Ron, please . . ."

Then, a ball of fire struck Ron's leg and knocked him to the ground screaming in pain. The smoke the fireball had caused cleared to reveal that everything below Ron's knee was gone, leaving a stump that seemed cauterized – possibly from the burning flames. The missing limb was blown to bits, pieces of flesh and toes lying nearby. Tears streamed down Ron's face as he lay in agony on the ground, yelling in pain every so often, his wand rolling away.

Harry at first gaped at his friend before he rushed forward to help him. Before he could touch Ron, he felt Sam clamp down on his wrist and pull, trying to drag him away from Ron.

"Sam, stop!" Harry yelled, yanking back. "Why did you do that? He needs my help!"

 _: He'll be fine, now let's move!_

"You blew his leg off!" Harry snapped, still pulling against Sam as the fox bit down harder and tugged with more aggression.

 _: He wasn't going to let you go without a fight! His partners will help him! Now come!_

Harry finally relented and followed Sam towards a far back corner of the room, shaking out his throbbing wrist which was slightly bleeding from where Sam had bit down. He stood next to Severus, sparing one last glance at Ron, who had a couple Aurors kneeling next to him. Harry also noted that Proudfoot was down with an Auror kneeling by him.

A couple remaining Aurors, the two who had yet to be physically harmed rushed towards them. Sam began spitting out large fireballs at them, forcing them to duck behind the bed. One fireball struck the bed, causing it to erupt in flames. The Aurors backed away from it, but stayed close enough behind it to avoid being struck by Sam's flames. They fired curses back, which Severus effortlessly blocked.

"We need to get out of here," Severus said. "I'm trying to think of a place to apparate to, but . . ."

"I know a place!" Harry suddenly said as an idea sprang to mind.

"Good. Then you take us there." Severus held out an arm for side-along apparition.

"Wait," Harry glanced around. "Where's Chantilly?"

Severus whistled and Chantilly flew over to them and landed on Severus's outstretched arm. Harry nodded before bending down and pulling Sam close. Sam stopped shooting fireballs as Severus also leaned down and kept an arm wrapped around Harry's, bringing Chantilly close to his chest.

The two Aurors quickly stood and ran towards them, but Harry took them all away before the Aurors could grab them, leaving behind several injured Aurors and a house in disaster.

And their ruined potion that had been nearly complete to take them back home.

* * *

Please review and share your thoughts!


	9. Starting Over

Here is the next chapter! I hope you are enjoying this story.

* * *

As they landed, Harry nearly fell over but Severus held him up with a hand on his shoulder, remembering Harry's ungracefulness with apparating. After Harry gathered his footing, he straightened himself out and smoothed his robes down. He noticed Severus staring at the place he had taken them and waited for the inevitable questions. Sam just sat at their feet, probably caring less about where exactly they were as long as they could brew the potion to take them to the second reality.

Chantilly broke the silence and let out a loud screech from Severus's shoulder.

"You took us to Privet Drive?" Severus questioned.

Harry looked at the house he had grown up in. 4 Privet Drive had been abandoned by the Dursleys, even Dudley decided to stay close to his family in the new neighborhood they had moved to. The house was still in good condition since it was nowhere nearly as old as Spinner's End, but it had not seen use since the Dursleys had left and Harry had stayed in the wizarding world. Harry hoped lights still worked and water still ran.

"It's a good hideout for now," Harry answered Severus's question. He moved forward towards the door.

"Why here?" Severus crossed his arms, not moving an inch, Chantilly still on his shoulders. Sam remained sitting at his side. "Aurors are sure to come looking for you here! Obviously, there is a good reason why you would come to this place, considering your relationship with . . ."

"My relationship with my aunt and uncle here are not the same in the other reality," Harry said. Severus frowned, but still didn't move. "And no one would really think I would come back here. I hate it here. It's perfect for that reason. The last place people would think to look. There are hundreds of other places they would look first – like Potter Manor, Seashell Cottage, even the Shrieking Shack would come to mind before this place did. That should give us a few days at most – maybe three?"

"You don't sound so sure," Severus growled, glaring at Harry.

"Of course, I'm not sure," Harry snapped. "I feel like the most wanted criminal right now; can we just go inside?"

"Don't snap at me," Severus snapped back.

 _: I hate to interrupt, but we are drawing attention,_ Sam voiced.

Harry looked around and noticed that muggles were peeking through window shades or staring from swing seats on their porch. Harry sighed and looked at Severus, noting that the man was also glancing around the neighborhood. They must have been an odd sight, two men in strange robes with a large fox. Hopefully, the muggles weren't observant enough to notice Sam's tails.

"Fine," Severus decided. "Let's get inside the house."

Harry led the way to the door, using his wand to unlock it. He switched the flick and was glad when light turned on. Sam disappeared down the hall, sniffing around. Harry guessed he was checking out the surroundings. Severus made a quick glance around, noting that the house was pretty similar in the other reality.

"So, tell me," Severus said, "where am I supposed to brew without a basement or lab room?"

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "Turn a bathroom or a bedroom into a lab or something."

"And waste my energy? I think not. I'll just set up a table with what I need and improvise. I'm going to set out what I have and make sure I can actually brew something. We need more of the shimmer stopping potion as well."

Severus walked down the hall and picked an empty room to disappear in. Harry sighed and hoped no one would look for him at Privet Drive. Everyone knew he hated the house. It just wasn't home to him. And while it may have been a rather nondescript area, he knew that Aurors would try heavily warded areas first, places where it was hard to break into. Harry felt his mind wonder back to the raid on Severus's home. He felt an overwhelming sadness rush over him at the loss of the potions. Everything was ruined, set days behind and being forced to start over on an already constricted time frame. How could it get much worse?

Sam reappeared, walking down the stairs that led to the second floor. He was in human form, a short man of perhaps 5'9 or less, with fox red hair and shockingly yellow fox eyes. Sam's ears were unchanged, fox ears on the upper sides of his head. Harry noted that Sam's ears were obviously visible, while in the other reality, Sam's hair had been longer and bushy, sticking up and covering his ears, hiding them without the need of a hooded article.

"Your hair isn't as long in this world," Harry said.

"I have to be in human form for extended periods of time for it to grow," Sam said, revealing unchanged fox teeth that had merely sunk back in his gums. "I wasn't trapped in a jail cell for nearly seventy years here."

Harry had forgotten that bit of Sam's life in the new world when the fox had been younger and had gotten in the hands of dark wizards who used the fox for their own greed before betraying Sam. It must never have happened in this world, or if it did, Sam may have been the traitor himself. Sam traveled a darker path in this reality if Harry was remembering correctly. Harry then noticed Sam's jeans and plain white t-shirt, though his feet were bare.

"Where did you get the clothes?"

"Neighbor's house," Sam answered, looking down at himself.

"You already broke into someone's house?"

"I'm sure they won't notice anything missing for a while." Sam held up his hand and closed his eyes, concentrating. A knife flew past Harry's head, startling him, and into Sam's waiting grip. Sam smirked at Harry's reaction, running his hand along the top of the blade.

"Your tanto," Harry recognized the ancient weapon. "How did you . . ."

"It goes where I go," Sam answered. "Some kind of magic of its own. I can call to it as well, as long as its nearby. It landed outside where we apparated I believe."

"Why are you in human form anyway?"

"I'm going to go find food while you help Severus," Sam answered. "I might as well as help with that, as I will be of no aid with potions. Give me your cloak."

Harry handed his black cloak over to Sam, watching as the kitsune put the hood up to cover his ears. However, Sam's eyes still sparkled with that unnatural yellow glow. "What about your eyes?"

"People don't usually meet my gaze long enough to notice," Sam said before leaving the house, disappearing quickly down the street.

Harry searched for Severus, finding him in an empty room with a single table that now supported two cauldrons and several ingredients. A cauldron was already bubbling away with one potion while Severus filled the other with water and fish blood. Harry noticed Chantilly perched on her new owl stand, resting a head under her wing. Harry stood next to Severus and watched him.

"I only managed to save two cauldrons," Severus said. "I only have one shot at brewing this potion right, so I shall do the best I can to watch myself. I managed to collect some premade shimmering potions and several empty vials. Here, take your potion."

Severus handed Harry a shot-sized vial and attached a syringe to another vial. Harry quickly threw the vial back and swallowed quickly, gagging at the taste as he usually did. He set the vial down.

"Where's Sam?" Severus said, holding up the vial with the syringe.

"In human form," Harry said. Severus nodded and removed the syringe. Harry continued, "He also went out to look for food for us."

"He'll have to take it when he comes back then."

Severus looked at his ingredients, studying each one intently. Harry watched as the man frowned and dug through the pockets of his robes. Severus froze and stared off in the distance. Harry watched him, guessing that Severus was trying to remember something.

"Oh, no," Severus groaned, leaning forward on the table with his elbows, running frustrated hands through his hair.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"Dragon teeth," Severus explained. "Your friend sent nine and I started nine cauldrons."

Harry groaned. "Maybe I can write him again. Chantilly is quick, she'll be there and back . . ."

"No," Severus said. "It would be too suspicious. Most people don't use up nine dragon teeth in a couple days, son. In fact, most people don't ask for dragon teeth at all."

"Then, what do we do?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

Harry growled in frustration and felt tears in his eyes. Not wanting to let his fifteen-year-old emotions out, he breathed and tried to think of a possible solution. Were there any dragons around he could go slay? He didn't really want to do that. He could just use a spell to knock out a dragon tooth. But where was he going to find a dragon? There had to be some kind of shop that sold dragon supplies – Knockturn Alley was sure to have some dirty wizards selling illegal dark artifacts. He was sure he could convince Sam to join him on a . . .

"Sam!" Harry exclaimed, looking wide-eyed at Severus. Severus flashed a look of confusion at him.

"What does Sam have to do with this?" Severus frowned.

"His necklace! The dragon tooth necklace!"

A look of understanding dawned on Severus and he stared back at Harry with an unsure look. He knew Sam was possessive of that prized necklace, regardless of its dark origins and how Sam had to obtain it, the fox had always worn it for personal reasons. It was a symbol of what the fox was capable of overcoming, what he was capable of resisting, what he had overcome and resisted. The dark magic of greed and selfishness – a natural pull that affects every creature on the planet – even muggles. Severus was sure that asking Sam to give up the necklace for the potion was nearly identical to digging your own grave.

But they would have to try.

They didn't have to wait long; about thirty minutes later, Sam reappeared with a brown bag of produce and possibly meat. Severus and Harry had been waiting in the living room on transfigured chairs, Severus lecturing Harry on what was appropriate to say to the fox.

Sam placed the groceries on the counter in the kitchen before lowering his hood and walking out into the living room, tilting his head curiously as though he could sense something was up, his ears lifting from where they had laid flat on his head. Harry and Severus stood from their seats.

"We have a dilemma, Sam," Severus began. "Mr. Weasley sent me nine dragon teeth, of which all were used in the nine cauldrons I set up. A dragon's tooth is the most important ingredient in this potion as it gives the potion that ancient magic it needs to pull off granting the wish. We have no dragon teeth and no time to search the world for one. You, however, have a dragon tooth necklace."

Sam's hand automatically flew to the tooth resting against his sternum, his fingers curling around it.

"Your point?" Sam asked, though by his tone it was clear Sam knew where the conversation was going.

"My point," Severus said slowly, "is that we need your tooth."

"No," Sam growled, his lips lifting as if he was going to snarl like a fox, his ears dropping slightly.

"Oh, come on, Sam," Harry said. "You need to help us. Who knows, maybe the tooth will still be in the other reality if we can make the wish just right . . ."

"And if it isn't?"

"Then it isn't. Who cares? We have to get back to the other reality . . ."

"This is mine. I'm not giving it up."

"You're being selfish," Harry snapped.

"Harry, enough," Severus warned.

"No, you always act so possessive over that thing. I know it has great magic, but it's needed. You have to help us, Sam. We have to get back to our world, isn't that more important? Isn't it what you want? Come on, give it over!" Harry reached towards Sam.

Sam tightened his grip on the tooth and hissed at Harry, his teeth enlarging from his gums, exposing even bigger canines, and Sam's eyes had a more mad, animalistic look and his ears flattened on his head.

Harry backed away while Severus stepped over to Harry protectively, standing in front of him. Sam panted angrily as his teeth sank bank into his gums, though his ears remained flattened and he glared at Harry and Severus. It reminded both wizards that while Sam may be in human form, he was still a dangerous kitsune, a classification XXXXX beast with the capability and will to kill a wizard. Sam may have bonded with the family in the other reality, may have even had an Unbreakable Vow, but in this world, Sam had nothing holding him back. And if Sam had combined with his old self, how dangerous and untamed was the fox now?

"I would like you to think about it, Sam," Severus said, calmly. "Just think about it. It's getting late. Why don't we all call it a night?"

Sam gave a final foxish snarl and turned away disappearing from their view.

"I hope he consents," Harry said.

"I hope so as well," Severus agreed. "Now that you are a wanted criminal, as you put it so nicely earlier, it might be best if you remain here. I'm sure Aurors are surrounding your home as we speak."

"Yeah, good point. I hate to upset Ginny."

"I know."

Severus and Harry bid each other goodnight before transfiguring blankest and sheets on the beds in the upstairs bedroom, Harry returning to his old bedroom, originally Dudley's second bedroom. It took him a while before he fell asleep. His thoughts were consumed by how Ron had looked at him with hurt and betrayed eyes, how Ginny must feel at his lack of return, and how hectic the situation he had put himself in was.

* * *

The next morning, Severus prepared breakfast and Harry joined him weary-eyed at the transfigured table in the living room. Sam was nowhere in sight. Severus sighed and Harry nearly broke into tears (stupid teenage dramatics) but he composed himself as any adult would, though he glared at Severus's smirk.

Severus worked on the shimmer stopping potion while they waited for Sam's return from wherever he was. If the fox ever returned. Harry decided to use the time to write an apology to Ron in hopes of helping his friend understand what was happening. He sat in a chair in the living room and began writing.

 _Dear Ron, I can't tell you everything . . . no, no, scratch that! What a terrible way to start. Dear Ron, please understand when I . . . no, no, too formal! Scratch that away. Perhaps a new parchment, make it look fresh. Dear Ron, this will be hard to explain and I can't tell you . . . damn it!_

Harry glared at the parchment. This was proving harder than he thought. But what did it matter – soon, he would be back in the other reality and he would be friends with Ron once more. Though there was little difference between this Ron and the other reality Ron, he hated to think that their friendship was ruined. Harry grabbed a new parchment. Honesty was always better. Just speak from the heart.

 _Dear Ron, I am sorry for everything that has been happening. I never wanted to betray your trust in me. I know how confusing it must be seeing Sev . . . scratch! Professor Snape alive again after watching him die. I was shocked to see him, too, but I didn't bring him back from the dead. I am not going dark, please believe me on that. I am still the same old me, just in a bit of a complicated situation. And the fox – he's actually a kitsune, and I know he's technically a dark creature with the highest classification, he's pretty nice and tamed. Just a little overprotective. I am so sorry about your leg, I would never have allowed that to happen. I know words can't heal your leg nor can it repair trust, but please give me the chance to make things right. I need you to trust me again. I need you as my friend again. Ask me any questions and I'll try to answer them as best as I can. My sincerest apologies. Your friend, Harry._

"You're not planning on sending that, are you?" Severus asked, reading the letter over Harry's shoulder.

"I need to," Harry answered. "Here Chantilly!"

The owl flew out of the room with her perch and landed on the arm of Harry's chair, looking at him expectantly with wide eyes.

"What if they put a tracking charm on her? You'll expose us all."

"She won't let anyone touch her. And she's good at avoiding spells. You hear that, Chantilly? Deliver the letter, but let no one touch you or put any charm on you. Can you do that?"

Chantilly hooted softly.

"You talk too much to this bird," Severus sniffed.

"Oh, lay off," Harry said, earning himself a cuff to the back of the head. It didn't hurt and Harry smiled playfully. "She's smart and she understands me. You know that. Take this to Ron."

Chantilly obediently took the letter and flew through an open window, leaving Privet Drive. Harry watched her fly away, smiling and hoping Ron would understand. Severus sighed and sat in the second chair, looking exhausted. It was nearly noon and there was still no sign of Sam. Harry felt a bit nauseous. What if Sam decided against it? The fox was the only obstacle in their way at the moment. Harry closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, resting his head, mirroring Severus.

Then, a white mist appeared and solidified into fox-sized Sam. Sam kept his head lowered and his tails nearly dragged behind him as he approached Severus's chair, his ears dropping to the sides. He stopped in front of Severus and used his head to nudge the man's leg for his attention, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. Harry thought Sam looked like a small, depressed dog in need of affectionate pats, with out-of-proportion ears too large for his head and three tails too bushy for the small body. It was almost comical.

Severus sat up and looked down at the back of the fox's head.

"Sam," Severus intoned.

Sam didn't move, just stared down at the ground. Severus didn't do anything either, just waited for the fox to make the first move. After a long moment, Sam stood on his hind paws, using Severus's knee for support as he opened his mouth and dropped something into Severus's hand, nudging it with his nose before dropping on all fours and sitting in front of Severus once more, his tails splayed out behind him, his head lowered, his ears dropping and his eyes closing.

Harry contained his excitement as he watched Severus turn the tooth in his hand, the leather that once wrapped around it and formed a necklace gone. Severus smiled down at Sam.

"Thank you, Sam," Severus reached down and stroked the fox's head and behind the ear. Sam leaned into Severus's palm, but his head remained down and his eyes closed. "I know how hard this must have been for you. But thank you. I hope that the necklace will still exist when we return home."

Sam said nothing just kept his head leaned into Severus's gentle pats. Harry did feel sad for Sam's loss and how upset Sam was. Severus stood and left the living room with the tooth, leaving Harry and Sam alone. Before Harry could say anything, Sam misted and disappeared from the living room. Harry sighed and remained in the chair, wondering what he should do to waste his time.

* * *

When Chantilly returned with a parchment in beak, Harry had been so excited to read what it said he glared at Severus when the man pushed him back and aimed a wand at the bird. He muttered several words under his breath while Chantilly neared the house. He seemed satisfied with what his results.

"She is a smart bird," Severus agreed reluctantly, holding his arm out as Chantilly chose to land on him. Harry quickly took the parchment – parchments from her beak. Two letters had arrived.

Harry frowned but read the longer one first. It was from Hermione.

 _Dear Harry, Ron is in the middle of surgery. He's having just above his knee removed. What was left of his leg was burned and mutilated to an unhealthy extent it had to be removed. I will give him the letter when he is finished, awake, and functional. Harry, I don't know what is going on, but I think you need help. Aurors are looking for you. They even tried to put a tracker on your owl, but she flew off and wouldn't let anyone touch her. I do hope you are somewhere safe. I'm trying to fit the pieces together and understand what you are doing, but nothing adds up. I'm worried about you, Harry. Ron is too. Please tell me what you are doing. Write back soon! Hermione._

Harry sighed as he read the last bit. Sam had reappeared in the living room where he and Severus were and Harry resisted the urge to glare at the fox. Sam had only been doing his job, protecting him. But at the cost of an injured friend. Harry looked at the smaller piece of parchment, hoping to take his mind of Ron's situation. It was from Ginny.

 _Harry, please meet me back at home. We need to talk. Ginny._

It wasn't like Ginny to be short and to the point when she wrote him letters. He showed it to Severus. Sam, still fox-sized, stood on hind legs and Severus lowered the note so the fox could see.

"I should go," Harry said. Ginny didn't deserve him running away on her. It was the least he could do.

 _: I smell a trap_ , Sam lifted his lips at the note briefly, dropping back to the ground.

"It is a bit of a suspicious letter," Severus said, dropping the letter down on a chair. "You don't want to play cat-and-mouse with the Aurors, Harry."

"I know," Harry agreed. "I'll be careful. But I have to confront Ginny and reassure her that everything is okay. She deserves to know a bit of what is going on. I'm already losing too much."

"All of which will hopefully be back to normal once we return home."

"And if we don't?"

Severus sighed and looked at Chantilly who still sat happily perched on his arm. Harry wondered if Severus ever thought about the possibility of being trapped in this reality. What happened when he ran out of the shimmer stopping potion. Would they all disappear? What if the Aurors caught them? Clearly there was too much dark magic for anyone's comfort level – or what looked like dark magic to everyone else but the three in the room. Harry didn't like the what-ifs because they all ended with the need for the shimmer stopping potion. Even if they did end up trapped, they would rely heavily on that potion just to stay alive.

Until they either ran out of the potion or the supplies to make it. Then, they would die. Disappear from all realities.

But if that was to be the case, Harry didn't want to leave off on any bad notes with his friends. He hoped that the wishing potion worked. Even to just wish them to stay alive would be an honor.

"I'm going to go to Ginny, Dad," Harry decided.

"If you must," Severus inclined his head.

 _: I'm coming with you,_ Sam said, leaving no room for arguments.

"Fine, but stay close," Harry said. Harry smiled at Chantilly and stroked her feathers. "I'll be back. I hope."

"Be careful," Severus said, his face lined with worry.

"I will be. Let's go, Sam."

Harry pulled Sam close and apparated to his living room in Grimmauld Place. Upon landing, the first thing he noticed was an anti-apparition charm went up as soon as his feet touched his living room floor. He was trapped in his own home.

* * *

Please review! Hope you loved it. I know, frustrating.


	10. Interrogation

This is a pretty short chapter but necessary to the story. It's been a busy few weeks, so if I didn't respond to your review, I apologize and thank you for your encouragement! To the reviews I can't PM, thank you for your support as well! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

 _: I knew this was a bad idea!_ Sam growled as he looked out the window from under the curtain. _I knew I smelled a trap! There's several Aurors out there, Harry, all with their wands ready._

"Come away from the window, Sam," Harry insisted. "Don't let them see you."

 _: This is your fault!_ Sam jumped away from the window and growled at Harry, his white teeth flashing and his fur bristling. _Got any bright ideas to get us out of this one?_

"I'm sure the floo still works," Harry glanced over at the fireplace. He waved his wand and tested for wards. The floo was heavily warded against him. There really was no way out of this house. The only way was to walk out the front door, but he and Sam were outnumbered for that. Harry ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he tried to come up with something, Sam's irritated snarling not helping in the slightest. At least the fox could still mist away.

"Harry," a quiet voice called to him.

Harry turned and looked at Ginny. She was standing in the dining room wearing a pale blue dress, but she was also barefoot. She looked pale and concerned. Harry wondered if she were about to faint.

"Ginny," Harry walked over to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright? You should sit."

They both sat at the dining table, Sam moving to sit on the floor next to Harry's chair.

"I'm fine, Harry," Ginny insisted, summoning a couple glasses and a pitcher of water. "It's just . . . it's been a long day. All those Aurors outside and . . . they were in here earlier. They left this."

Ginny touched a rolled-up parchment tied with a strip of blue string, but didn't pick it up or look as though she wanted to show it to Harry. Harry eyed it suspiciously and he could hear Sam's nose sniffing madly – though he wasn't sure what the fox was trying to detect. Poison, probably.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

Ginny pushed the parchment aside and looked intently at Harry, her eyes straying to Sam for a few seconds and then back at Harry once more. Sam huffed and lied down, figuring that this might take a while, resting his head in between his black paws. Ginny took a deep breath and gave Harry a critical look.

"I want you to be honest with me," Ginny began.

"Ginny," Harry sighed. "I can't . . . I'll try."

Harry decided against what he was going to say when Ginny gave him a sad look. He could try – as best as he could. As long as he didn't reveal the alternate universe, he could try to explain as much as he could.

"Thank you," Ginny said, reaching across the table to pat Harry's hand. "You have a lot of charges against you, you know. People are panicking in the Wizarding world. Everyone thinks you're turning into another Dark wizard."

"I can assure you I'm not."

"Can you? Harry, you're looking at twenty years in Azkaban!"

"What!? For what?"

"For what!? Harry, you brought the dead back to life! That's very dark magic and that alone is ten years!"

"I didn't bring . . ." Harry growled in frustration, he rubbed at his throbbing temples. "I'm not quite sure how to explain Snape's presence, but I didn't bring him back from the dead. I found him."

"That's impossible."

"I know it seems like it is, but that is the truth. Can you believe that?"

Ginny looked down at the wooden tabletop. She looked so conflicted and Harry's heart ached for her, but he couldn't risk telling her everything, even if he trusted her the most. Someone could still legilimancy on her to see their conversation.

"It's not me you'll have to convince," Ginny mumbled.

Harry should have known that that would have been her response. And she was right. He had to convince the several Aurors outside that he had not brought Snape back to life. That would be easier said than done, considering he had no supportive evidence.

"But you do believe me, right?"

"I don't know."

Harry sighed. Perhaps it would be just as hard to convince Ginny after all.

"Well, anyway, that's ten years. You were also brewing an unknown, potentially illegal and dark potion. That's another year. The lab analyzed the contents of the potion, but it isn't anything they have ever seen before. They asked potions masters all over the UK but no one knows what it could possibly be. It was incomplete and there was possible contamination when it was knocked over and spilt on the ground."

"Wonderful. And the other nine years?"

"Harboring a Classification XXXXX animal without ministry consent is three years. That . . . fox thing – what is it? The Aurors told me but I don't remember what they called it."

"He's a kitsune. A magical creature native to Japan. He's friendly, just protective."

"He injured a lot of people. That's your remaining six years – attacking fellow Aurors while escaping with suspect Severus Snape. Using a dangerous animal to attack everyone as well. Several were injured with third degree burns – two with fourth degree! Proudfoot had a concussion, one man is blind, and Ron is missing his leg!"

"I never wanted that to happen. Proudfoot should never have interfered with my task . . ."

"It was Gawain Robards idea to have Proudfoot take over your task. He said you were taking too long and he wanted information on the Snape case as quickly as possible. There's too much panic about dark wizards right now, it had to be done."

"He probably had a lot of persuading from Proudfoot."

"Harry, don't you understand what's going on! You're going to Azkaban for years! Twenty years!"

"You have to help me get out of here, Ginny. The wards around the fireplace are against me, but not you. You can take them down, it'll take me a second to slip by and floo away before the Aurors even realize the wards were tampered with. Why are you shaking your head at me? You have to help me!"

Ginny continued slowly shaking her head, tears welling in her eyes.

"Please, you have to turn yourself in. For me, please! There's a deal, they're offering you. You have to take it – for me – for us!"

"What about Ron and Hermione? Have you talked to them? I'm sure they would help me . . ."

"Ron feels betrayed by you. But he's also concerned for you. He and Hermione are concerned. They both believe you need help – hospitalization, not Azkaban. They are trying to fight the warrant for your arrest as we speak, Hermione mostly, but she's not anywhere near winning. Please, hear this deal and think . . ."

"No! I'm not making deals with anyone! I can't –"

"Harry, it's for the better! It's a perfect deal! If you just . . ."

"Ginny, listen to me . . ."

"No! Listen to me – I'm pregnant!"

The world seemed to freeze, the air around them completely still and silent. Harry stared gaping at Ginny, his eyes straying to her stomach. It was almost as if the word knocked every wisp of air from his lungs, and he struggled to inhale, to exhale, to do anything as the word bounced around inside his skull. Sam had lifted his head up, staring back and forth at Ginny and Harry.

Pregnant?

They were going to have a baby?

And he was going to Azkaban for twenty years?

"I didn't want you to find out like this. But I'm pregnant. We're having a baby."

Harry just continued to stare.

"But you're going to be in Azkaban. And I'm going to raise a baby for twenty years alone. But the Aurors – the Ministry of Magic – they've proposed an offer. You turn yourself in along with Severus Snape and your fox – if you confess to everything – you'll only get three years in Azkaban, and everyone else will deal with the Snape case and taking care of your fox."

Ginny picked up the rolled-up parchment, pulled off the string and unrolled it. She laid it flat on the table, smoothing a hand over it. There were hundreds of tiny words split up into two long paragraphs, then a long line at the end waiting for a signature.

"This is the proposal. You sign this, confessing to everything, saying that you will hand over Snape and the fox and that you agree to the three-year term. It just talks about what you are being charged with and why this deal was created, is all."

Harry glanced down at the parchment, then looked back at Ginny. Sam stood to his feet and sniffed at the parchment, using Harry's chair to lift himself slightly to try and read the tiny print, but found it too difficult. He growled as he dropped down to all fours, watching Harry intently.

"How –" Harry's voice cracked and he swallowed. "How far along are you?"

"Eight weeks."

"Eight weeks," Harry repeated softly.

 _: Harry!_ Sam barked angrily.

Ginny jumped at the sudden word as it entered her mind as well. She stared in surprise at the wolf-sized, three-tailed fox, unaware that it had been able to talk.

"What?" Harry snapped back.

 _: Don't you dare sign that parchment! It's a set up! I know it!_

"You don't know anything."

 _: Trust me, I have more experience than you about bargaining – especially when family is involved._ Sam jumped up on the table and snarled at Ginny, his fur bristling once more. _And I can tell you this: this whole situation – this deal – is bait. Ginny, herself, is bait._

Ginny stared wide-eyed at the fox, tears in her eyes, her entire body stiff. She glanced at Harry and back at Sam, her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words. She looked at Harry and simply shook her head slowly at him.

"No, Harry. Don't believe that, I'd never do that to you – I love you."

"Sam!" Harry shoved the fox off the table and away from Ginny. Sam landed on all fours indignantly and he snarled at Harry. "Lay off. You don't know Ginny like I do. She wouldn't."

"Please, Harry," Ginny encouraged. "Sign the parchment. Take the deal. Think of it, the baby. He or she will only be – what, two – three – and he'll get to know his dad. He'll get to be with his dad. Twenty years, Harry. He'll be an adult, by then. And he'll have grown up not knowing how wonderful his father was. Hating you because you were never there for him. You were locked away for whatever selfish reasons, not even thinking about his welfare."

"No," Harry shook his head, leaning across the table and grasping Ginny's slender fingers in his hands. "No, I wouldn't do that to our baby. Is – is it a boy?"

"I don't know," Ginny smiled softly. "It's a little early for that."

"Why didn't you tell me? Before, I mean."

"I wanted to. I wanted the right time but you were so sad all the time and then all . . . well, this happened."

"I'm okay, now. I can't believe it. I'm a dad."

Harry smiled at Ginny and Ginny smiled back, nodding her head slowly as a single tear trailed down her face.

 _: A word with you_ , Sam growled, biting down on Harry's wrist and dragging him away from the table.

"Ow!" Harry exclaimed.

Sam released him once they were a few feet away.

"Quit doing that! It's not like you had to drag me away, you can choose if she hears you or not."

 _: Yes, but I wanted your complete attention – not half just because you were too busy smiling and giggling at her. Have you forgotten that there are several Aurors out there waiting to arrest you?_

"Of course not! They're promising a deal – weren't you listening? Three years in Azkaban and I'll be free. And I'll have my baby to take care of and get to know."

 _: Will you? It's a setup, Harry. And she's the bait._ Sam nodded towards Ginny.

"Sam, I'm going to be a father, now! I can't just . . . I need to be here for Ginny and the baby, now. They'll need me."

 _: Behind bars? Do you really think that those Aurors are going to keep their end of the deal? If there even is one! You're being played!_

"You don't know that!"

 _: Oh, I'm all too aware of how this works._

"I forgot to mention," Ginny called over to them, noticing how tense the air was surrounding the two. "Your fox, he won't be harmed. They told me they're going to transport him back to Japan and release him back into the wild – on a reserve where magizoologists will tend to him."

"See?" Harry smiled. "You'll be taken care of. You'll be back in Japan on a reserve where you can go find your sister . . ."

 _: You don't get it, do you!?_ Sam began barking angrily. _I have no sister here! She's dead! Killed years ago, because I was never there! I was never adopted here, damn it!_

Harry felt terrible. How could he have forgotten that Sam had been forced to grow up alone as a child – or a kit – abandoned by his own parents who were pursued and killed by hunters. Sam was never found by the fox that took him in in the alternate universe.

 _: You and Severus are all I have left,_ said Sam in a soft voice, lowering his head and dropping his ears, his eyes closing. _And I never even knew you here either. Neither of you._

"We know you now, Sam," Harry said, kneeling to Sam's level and petting the fox's head. "And I promise, I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

 _: Behind bars?_ Sam gave Harry a sad puppy-dog look, his voice full of disbelief.

"I know Ginny wouldn't agree to something without making sure it wasn't a real deal. She cares about me and she wouldn't betray me. It's only three years if I take the deal. You'll be fine and I'll come looking for you."

 _: I wish I could believe you. But I still think it's a trap. And you're falling right for it._  
"Maybe," Harry sighed. "I haven't really decided yet. But this baby will need me. I can't just widow Ginny."

 _: You will if you take this deal. Have you forgotten our shimmering problem? We will disappear without Severus's potion – and who knows how long that potion will even have effect._

Harry had forgotten about the shimmering, considering he hadn't had any problems since taking the potion. Sam had a good point. But the wishing potion was still a process in the making.

"I can always wish to stay, Sam," Harry said.

 _: And doom your father to a likely death._

Harry's eyes widened. He hadn't really considered what the Aurors would do to Severus if he turned him in. The man had "been brought back from the dead" in the world's eyes. And yes, while semi-true, it would be immoral to just kill the man again – wouldn't it? But Harry wouldn't put it past the Ministry to do just that. Especially with Proudfoot's insistence.

Harry wasn't sure what to do anymore. A baby was on the way into the world, but lives were also at risk. Severus's life, specifically.

And then again, what if Sam was right? What if there was no deal? What if Ginny had been bait? But why would Ginny betray him so? He'd be facing twenty years if he signed the papers or not.

Harry grabbed at his hair in frustration.

What was he going to do?

* * *

I'm sorry it's short, but it was all I needed for this chapter. Tell me your thoughts!


	11. Choices We Make

I'm so sorry for the long wait and keeping everyone anxiously waiting. Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

Ginny slowly poured water into the two glasses on the table and shakily handed one to Harry. Harry accepted the drink and watched as Ginny lifted the glass to her lips, her hands trembling even more. Harry sighed and took a long drink. He hated what state he was putting Ginny in with all this nonsense. Why didn't he just stay at Privet Drive with Severus? He should have listened to Sam when the fox had said it smelt like a trap.

Glass shattered as Ginny's hands dropped the glass of water to the hard floor. Ginny was silently crying, her shoulder's shaking with strong sobs.

"Ginny," Harry set his glass down and laid a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "I'm sorry for what I'm putting you through. I didn't want this as much as you didn't want this. I know this must be hard for you . . . here, have some more water."

Harry summoned another glass and started filling a cup with water from the pitcher on the table.

"No," Ginny managed to force out. "I'm fine. I'll just choke on it. Please Harry, don't do this to our baby. Just sign the deal. I don't want to lose you."

Harry sighed and set the glass back down.

He needed to decide what to do. They had sat in silence for nearly half an hour, no one saying a word. Harry was surprised Sam's consistent pacing hadn't created a trail in the wooden floor. Sam had been uncharacteristically quiet. Harry was sure the fox would tear pieces out of him for even considering accepting the deal. Sam paused and stared back at Harry, who realized he was staring intently at the fox.

Harry looked down at the tabletop, avoiding the piercing yellow eyes. Sighing, Harry drank more water, unsure of what else to do. Ginny was a crying mess – probably pregnant woman hormones, Harry figured, but what did he know – and Sam was angrier than bees whose nest had been raided.

He looked down at the parchment that laid open waiting for his signature, the owl feather quill resting next to it. Harry wanted to throw a curse at it, maybe burn the parchment to ashes, but it was probably spelled against such curses.

The Aurors outside must be extremely patient.

"What do I do?" Harry growled under his breath.

 _: Think up a plan to escape,_ Sam finally spoke, though to Harry alone he was sure. Sam trotted over to Harry. _That's what I've been doing._

So that was the reason for Sam's silence. Why didn't Harry ever think of doing these things?

But did Harry really want to escape? Did he want to leave Ginny and the baby? But he didn't want to go to Azkaban, either. Three years or twenty.

"What do you have in mind?" Harry asked.

 _: Well, I know that I can mist right out of here, but everything is guarded against you. Now, I've lived long enough in your world to understand magic a bit. I also know how to find loopholes in any situation. And I'm thinking if I blast a hole in the ground, I can dig out a tunnel for us to go under the house. There's no foundation or basement correct?_

Harry shook his head. Sam was an incredible problem solver. Now if only the fox could solve the problem of whether the deal was legit or not and if he should accept it.

 _: Then that's what we will do. Out through the back and I'll make the tunnel long enough to get us past all the Aurors underground and away from the wards so you can apparate us away. However, if I blast the floor, it will be loud and may even shake the house. That will attract attention. I will try and be quick but you will need to keep those Aurors at bay. That is where I can't think of something for you to do without being captured. They will come running in here at the sound of an escape but . . ._

Sam growled softly and resumed his pacing.

"I can hold my own, Sam," Harry said.

The more he thought about leaving this house trap, the more the idea appealed to him. Even though he was still conflicted, perhaps he could talk to Severus about his options. Maybe the man had better advice and opinions on what he should do. Severus knew what having a child on the way was like, at least in the old reality, and Harry was sure Severus could point him in the right direction.

"I have an idea," Harry said.

Ginny looked up at Harry, her cheeks tearstained and blotchy.

"I will open the front door and talk to the Aurors outside. I'm sure they are all just waiting for me to do that. I'll get them talking and you will blast the hole and set a tunnel going."

 _: As soon as you open that door, they might start cursing you._

"I don't know about that, but you make a good point. They could all throw a stunner at me. Unless . . . Ginny?"

Ginny looked up wide-eyed at Harry, her hand flying protectively over her lower abdomen.

"I need your help, Ginny. I need you on my side – like you always have been. They won't hurt you, not while you're pregnant."

"You don't know that . . ." Ginny choked slightly.

"You're right, I don't. I would like to think they wouldn't. But you can stand in front of me while I talk to the Aurors. It'll be quick, Sam will have a way out in no time and I'll go set everything straight. I can make this all better for both of us – the three of us – if you just help me. You know better than anyone. I've always looked out for you. You and I have been a team for a long time. I need you on my side, by my side. Please Ginny. I can fix everything and make this better."

Ginny was silent for an intense moment. Fresh tears filled her eyes. Harry's throat felt dry and he drank the last of his water. Ginny's head snapped up as she watched him do so, her eyes wide.

"I'm so sorry," Ginny cried, covering her face with her hands. "You're right. I should have trusted you. I'm so sorry! So sorry – it's too late now! Please forgive me!"

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.

 _: I knew it!_ Sam snarled, jumping up on the table and snarling at Ginny, his fur bristling. _This was a trap, wasn't it? You are the bait! Admit it!_

"I admit it!" Ginny said. "Okay, I admit it. What have I done?"

"Ginny," Harry felt betrayed and hurt. It was all a set up and Ginny was bait. Sam had been right after all. "How could you . . .?"

"I'm sorry, Harry. He threatened my baby. They made me do it. Th-there really is no deal, the parchment is the agreement for you're a-arrest without trial – I-I was supposed to get you to sign it and they gave me the three-year plan and I . . . I-I had no choice, it was either turn you in or miscarriage. I guess there's a spell or something but he threatened to use it."

"Who?" Harry had a sickening feeling that he knew who.

"Proudfoot."

Harry swore loudly. So, Proudfoot was playing the dirty Auror now. That man was determined to capture him – and for what? What did he ever do to Proudfoot?

Sam snarled as he sniffed the water pitcher. _What's in this water? What did you do to Harry?_

"There's something in the water?" Harry exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, Harry, please forgive me," Ginny answered. "It's some kind of sleeping draught. It's supposed to take effect in about a half hour or so – I didn't want to give it to you – I really didn't. I was supposed to give you a drink of water and then talk you into signing the arrest form and then you'd fall asleep and they'd take you. I'm so sorry. What have I done? I've betrayed you!"

"I . . ." Harry stumbled on his words. He what? Hated Ginny for her betrayal? Understood why Ginny had to do it? Understood why she thought she had to do it? Would never be able to trust her again? Perhaps a combination of all the above?

 _: I guess this is your chance for redemption,_ Sam snarled at Ginny, the white tips of his tails twitching. _You will help Harry distract the Aurors while I start this tunnel. Harry will ask for that water and you both will go back inside. We will get a good distance away from the wards so we can apparate out of here before the potion kicks in and the Aurors will be none the wiser._

"Ginny comes with us," Harry insisted. Sam turned wrathful eyes on him. "You heard what Proudfoot threatened to do to her."

 _: Of course,_ Sam spat. _The damsel in distress will join us. Perhaps you might even have an antidote for Harry as a token of your love for his daring rescue._

"Sam!" Harry snapped at the fox. Ginny looked ready to cry again.

: Let's get moving. We don't have much time.

Sam leaped away, still visibly agitated by the turn of events.

Ginny and Harry walked towards the front door to talk to the Aurors. Harry made sure Ginny stood in front of her. Even though Proudfoot had threatened her, the other Aurors would never stoop so low. Ginny opened the door.

Several wands lifted in their direction. For the first time, Harry got a good look outside. Several Aurors were stationed outside his house, all in different positions. Some behind trees, some kneeling on the ground, and some standing on either side of the stairway that lead to the house. No one lowered their wands.

"Hold fire!" Someone shouted.

"It's okay!" Ginny held up her hands in surrender, Harry following her lead. "We talked about the agreement and Harry would like to do it – for the baby."

Ginny smiled up at Harry and rested her hands over her lower abdomen, and Harry put his hands over hers.

"Did you sign the agreement?" Someone called out to them.

Before Ginny or Harry could speak a loud bang echoed through the house. The ground shook under their feet and Ginny nearly fell over if Harry hadn't steadied her. Loud shouts came from the Aurors.

"What is happening?"

"What's going on in there?"

"What was that?"

"Where's that animal he had with him?"

"Prepare to infiltrate the building!"

"No! It's okay!" Ginny shouted. "It's just . . . it's . . ."

"My fox is not happy about my decision," said Harry in a rush of breath. "Ginny transfigured a dog crate for him, an indestructible one, and he is trying to break free of it."

"That's right," Ginny said peering back into the house for good measure. "He hasn't broken out, has he?"

Harry glanced back into the house as well and his eyes widened at the sight of the large hole in the ground. Sam was nowhere in sight, more than likely beginning the escape tunnel. Ginny nudged him with her elbow.

"Uh, no, not yet. But he's getting pretty close. Maybe I should let him out."

"Or maybe he's just thirsty," Ginny said, smiling at the Aurors and nodding slightly. "He needs some of that nice, cold, ice water I prepared."

"Maybe," Harry agreed. "I could use a quick drink as well."

"We'll go in and sign the paper and have a drink of water."

"Be quick now," said a gruff voice somewhere. "We don't have all day."

"Right," Ginny shoved Harry back into the house.

Once the door closed again, she looked up at Harry with a concerned look. She pushed a hand against his forehead.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked. "You look flushed and your eyes seem a bit unfocused."

Harry had felt fine until Ginny had said something. Now, a headache was beginning to form and he just wanted to close his eyes and never open them again. Harry quickly shook the feeling away.

"I'm fine," Harry insisted. "We have to go."

 _: You don't look fine at all,_ growled Sam as he crawled out of the hole in the ground. He sat down by it, curling his tails around him and flattening his ears against his head. _Wonder whose fault that is? Come, we must move quickly. Ladies first._

Ginny moved slowly and cautiously past Sam and sat at the edge of the large hole before sliding down it and disappearing in the dark. Harry watched her every move carefully to make sure she didn't hurt herself.

He watched Sam as well. The fox didn't seem to like Ginny in this reality, though her betrayal may have played a part in that. In the other reality, Sam had been fond of Ginny and enjoyed embarrassing Harry when he learned of the developing feelings he was having for her. Now, Sam seemed ready to rip an arm off her.

 _: Harry, come. We must get as far away from the anti-apparition wards as we can so we can all get out of here. That potion will be hitting you hard soon._

Harry rushed forward and slid into the dark hole, feeling a lot like Alice in Wonderland as he fell down the large blackness. He couldn't see a thing as he landed at the bottom.

"Harry? Is that you?"

"Ginny! Yeah, I'm here. Where are you?"

"Over here!"

"Over where?"

"Your left, I think."

Harry reached out and moved towards the left of him, feeling around blindly with his arms. Suddenly a bright light filled the dark tunnel and Harry had to shut his eyes and then blink a few times to adjust. He looked around and saw Sam with his three tails flaming and Ginny sitting on the floor on the other side of the tunnel. She smirked as she saw Harry's arms stretched out towards the wall on the opposite side.

"My bad. Your right."

Harry laughed as he walked to her and pulled her to her feet.

 _: Let's move Romeo,_ Sam growled at him.

"Coming Sam," said Harry and then to Ginny said, "He's very bossy when he wants to be."

Ginny smiled and intertwined her fingers with Harry's and they walked quickly down the tunnel, Sam creating more and more of it by breathing a large flame that ate away all the dirt.

"Harry," Ginny began.

"Yes, Ginny?"

"I really am sorry about what happened back there. I really though I had no other choice but to betray you. I didn't want to, but when he said he'd kill my baby if I didn't cooperate – I was so terrified. It was the hardest decision I had to make – save you or save my unborn child. I don't ever want to do that again."

"Did anyone else know you were pregnant? I mean how did he know?"

"I told Hermione awhile ago. She must have let it slip when the Aurors questioned her about you. It's kind of why she's always telling me to get off my feet."

"Harry remembered that morning when Hermione and Ron had stopped by and Hermione insisted on Ginny sitting. He also remembered that night when Ginny had felt a bit sick and tired but had been too hungry to wait for Harry tor return to eat dinner with him. And Ginny had been emotional lately, though he wasn't sure if those were all signs of a pregnant woman or not. He wasn't really good at this stuff.

"I just wish you would have told me sooner," Harry said.

Then a thought struck him. If Ginny was eight weeks along, that meant she had been pregnant when he had gone to the bar, drank himself to death and woke up in the alternate reality. If Ginny had told him about her pregnancy, would it have lifted his depressive state? Would he have ever gone to the bar and drank as he did? Would he have ever discovered the existence of the new world? There were so many what-ifs.

"I'm sorry I didn't," said Ginny as she leaned into Harry more. "I should have. Perhaps we wouldn't be in this mess, would we?"

"Maybe not," Harry agreed.

Sam paused for the briefest moment before he shook his head, breathed a flame, and created more tunnel.

"Can you tell me what is going on?" asked Ginny.

"Not really. But I need you to trust me that I know what I am doing. We are going to my safe house where Severus Snape is, just to forewarn you. We are doing something that will fix everything. I just need a couple more days and then it'll be like none of this ever happened."

"I would like that. Stress isn't really good for me right now, you know."

"No, I don't know. I don't know a thing about pregnant women."

Ginny laughed and Harry relished the sound.

Then, his hound pounded furiously and he gripped at it with both hands. His eyes blurred even though he still had his glasses on. His muscles felt weak and he collapsed to the ground.

"Oh, dear. Harry!"

 _: Harry!_

Harry could barely see Ginny and Sam fussing above him, trying to stir him and get him up on his feet. He could feel Ginny patting his burning head and could hear the tears in her voice. Sam was biting down on his arm and pulling as if to move him further down the tunnel. Harry felt so weak, so dizzy. He looked at Ginny again and wasn't sure which of the three Ginnys he should focus on.

"I'm so sorry, Harry! Look at what I've done to you! This is all my fault! How could I have let this happen! Please, Harry, get up for me. You need to stand."

 _: Harry, I need you to find your strength. We need to move further down the tunnel, we're so close. Just a few more feet and Ginny can even apparate us away. We can go anywhere, but we can't stay here. Come, now, get up! We need to move. Now!_

"They're down this tunnel!" echoed a booming voice.

"Oh no, they found us!"

 _: Harry, up! Just to here and we pass the wards!_

"Here they come! Oh, Harry! I'm so sorry!"

Harry wasn't sure what was happening. He could see several men running down the tunnel towards them. He thought he heard screaming – Ginny? Sam leaped forward and let loose fireballs that exploded but missed the targeted people. Then, Sam had roped wrapped around his legs, muzzle, and even his tails. When had that happened? The men were everywhere in his vision. So close, so blurry, all around him, voices blending with each other.

Harry watched as four blurry men picked up two blurry Sams and then three people surrounded Ginny who had crumbled against the wall across from where he laid.

Then two sneering Proudfoot faces entered his line of vision and then the world went black.

* * *

Harry groaned as he opened he rubbed at his face and eyes. Everything felt sore. Harry opened his eyes and stared up at a grey stone ceiling. He stretched on the bed he was laying on. It was the most uncomfortable bed he had ever felt beneath him, all stiff mattress and rickety frame. Harry threw his legs over the bed and stared at the door with a barred window in front of him.

Bars.

Grey stone walls.

Terrible bed.

Tiny little room with a loo in the far corner.

Azkaban.

He was in Azkaban.

Harry's eyes widened and he stood to his feet and charged the barred window. He looked out into a dimly lit hall. There was no one out there though. Harry turned around and struggled to breathe. He placed a hand on his chest to try and return his shaky breathing to a normal pattern. He was in a poorly lit, tiny room. A single lantern emitted light on the wall. There was another larger barred window just over the dull white bed he had waken up in. He rushed to it, kneeling on the bed and looking out the window.

All he could see was water. Waves crashing into each other, occasional fish leaping out of the currents and birds diving to catch those fish. That scenery went on for miles. And miles. And miles.

He was trapped in Azkaban.

He heard a loud chain like noise behind him and the click of locks being undone. The door opened and three people walked in. He recognized Proudfoot immediately and saw red.

Before he could charge forward and tear Proudfoot to shreds, the other two, a man and woman, grabbed his arms and forced his hands behind his back before chains wrapped around his wrists and kept his hands behind him. The two Aurors held his arms firmly.

"Well," Proudfoot opened his arms as if he was showing a potential buyer a fancy suit. "What do you think? A room fit for the most dangerous criminal in the world."

"No," Harry shook his head. "You have it wrong . . ."

"I have it wrong?" Proudfoot gave the most sinister laugh Harry had ever heard. A chill ran down his spine. "You hear that? I have it wrong! Last time I checked, Potter, I'm not the one behind bars."

"You didn't even give me a trial, so this is . . ."

"This is everything legal, Potter," Proudfoot cut in. "See this?"

Proudfoot lifted a parchment. Harry recognized it as the supposed agreement Ginny had had. Harry gasped as he saw it was sign.

"This is the agreement to your arrest. If you had read the fine print, you'd see that you are agreeing to an arrest with no trial. And look at that – it's signed! By you."

Proudfoot pointed at Harry.

"I never signed that!"

"Of course, you didn't," Proudfoot said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Maybe this will teach you to keep your office locked so no one can use forgery charms. Oh, but wait, you no longer have an office. You'll spend the next glorious twenty years in this tiny room. It's just like the Boy Who Lived, isn't it? When you do something grand, you go full out, don't you?"

Harry looked at the other two Aurors restraining him, but neither looked fazed by what Proudfoot was saying. They must have been in on whatever he was up to. They were dirty Aurors just like Proudfoot – but for what gain?

"Now, we just need one thing. Reveal the location of Severus Snape."

Harry spat at Proudfoot bitterly. Proudfoot seethed at him but merely wiped his face with a handkerchief. "Fine, perhaps will find a Legilimens to break it out of you, but for now, I hope you enjoy your stay."

Proudfoot turned to leave.

"Wait!" Harry yelled.

Proudfoot looked at him expectantly.

"Where's Sam?" Harry asked. "What did you do to him?"

"I suppose you mean your little foxy friend," Proudfoot smiled coldly. "After your capture yesterday evening, he was sent to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures."

"No," Harry shook his head, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. His stomach knotted.

"Yes. And this morning, he was . . . well, you know."

Harry dropped his head, becoming deadweight to his restrainers who forced him to stand upright. Sam couldn't be . . . could he? It felt too surreal for Harry that he had lost his friend. Tears burned his eyes but he glared at Proudfoot. He refused to show weakness.

"And Ginny?"

"The little traitor?"

"She's not a traitor! And if you hurt her, I'll . . ."

"You'll what? Curse me? Kill me? Wandless? Behind bars?"

Harry remembered Sam questioning the same thing.

"Your wife is fine. But let's just say that there won't be any miracles nine months from now."

Harry's mouth dropped in shock.

"You bastard!" Harry struggled against his restrainers who fought to keep him under control. "You son of a bitch! I'll kill you! How could you do that!? How heartless are you, you ass!"

"I never wanted to do it," said Proudfoot too calmly for Harry's nerves. "But look at it this way. Now, you'll only have one person who hates you for leaving her to rot in this cell. But, if you tell me where Severus Snape is, maybe I'll see about visiting rights for you two lovebirds."

Harry didn't say anything.

"On the bright side, when Robards' retires as the Head Auror next year, you Potter, won't be succeeding him, like everyone thought you would. I guess that leaves the spot open for a more ambitious Auror in the field. A smarter, wittier Auror. I wonder who that could be."

Proudfoot smirked at Harry's furious face.

"Of course, only if Robards wishes, but that's nothing a little persuasion can't take care of. And when I'm head, I'll make sure you rot in this cell for the rest of your life."

Proudfoot left the room with that. The two Aurors released him, but not before sending a strong stinging hex at Harry, causing him to fall to the hard, cold ground in pain. The two left as well, leaving Harry alone. Harry had tears in his eyes.

He felt an odd sensation on his body and he looked down. He was shimmering again, he had forgotten how that felt. His entire body was static-like, except for his head and shoulders. He hadn't taken the potion today and if the static covered his entire body, he would disappear from all existence.

What was he supposed to do now?

Harry felt hopeless, useless, as he laid on the floor unmoving, waiting for the pain to subside. At least there were no Dementors anymore to make him feel a hundred times worse. Severus would have to make the wish without him, if he was even alive when the potion finished brewing. At least one person would return to that reality. Harry felt a tear trail down his cheek. He could only think of one word at the moment.

A four-letter word that started with f.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed. Please review and tell me your thoughts!


	12. Escape

Long time no update. Sorry to keep everyone waiting on this chapter. If I did not reply to your review, I apologize and would like to thank you for your support and love of this story. Please review and share your thoughts and I promise to get to them. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

* * *

Two days had passed since Harry's capture. He had not seen any other human being except for the Auror that delivered his breakfast and dinner. He wondered why lunch was cut out, especially considering that the two meals he received were rather poor quality. A scrambled egg (usually cooked to the point it was nearly burnt), a slice of unbuttered toast, and a tomato had been his breakfasts the past two mornings. The first night's dinner had been a meatloaf with peas – though the peas were dried and the meatloaf tasted terrible. Last night had been even worse with fish that still smelled raw and hard white rice. Harry forced the rice down but didn't even touch the fish for his own safety. All the food had been served with a single glass of room temperature water.

And what was worse, he had to sleep in a bed that left his back achy in the morning. The blanket he had barely kept him warm from the chilly wind that slipped through the barred window and he shivered through most of the night. The hard pillow left him with a crick in the neck.

Then there was the loo he had. Practically a hole in the floor, he realized when he found no way to flush it. And it had been used before in years past and the aura smelled of a portable toilet in the entire room. The stench was awful. The sink nearby had looked promising, especially as a source of water he could drink, but when he turned it on, the water came out yellowish and smelled like the ocean. And, of course, there was no shower and he doubted he'd be allowed to ever shower in this place.

The door was always locked and when Harry glanced out the small barred window at the top, he would always see an Auror standing outside his door; never the same person, always pacing or looking completely bored, and always carrying a wand.

There was no escape from this prison.

He would remain trapped here until the shimmering completely covered him and eliminated him from all universes. Everything but his head went through the shimmering phases every hour of the day. It unnerved Harry, but he hoped that Severus managed to save himself, silently praying that no one had found the man.

Harry hoped that Ginny was okay. He wasn't sure if he should believe Proudfoot when the man had told him that Ginny would no longer be having the baby. He didn't think anyone could be so heartless to do such a thing to a woman protecting her unborn child.

Then there was Sam. It wasn't the first time Sam's life had been threatened with execution by the Ministry of Magic. It was a common threat Harry and Severus received from them. Harry wondered, if Sam had really been executed, if dying in this reality eliminated the chance of returning to the alternate world. Or if the shimmering still had to take place and make Sam's body disappear.

He had had a lot of time to think over everything that had happened up to this point. And how it all began. What had he been thinking? His stupid fifteen-year-old self from the Second Chances Reality just had to go and ruin everything for him. But he was one and the same as his twenty-one-year-old self. Damn his temper. Over a stupid detention, too.

Lying on the rickety bed, Harry rolled on to his back, listening to the loud squeak the bed made. He wasn't sure what to do, if he should plan any escape, or how he should even attempt one. There were several Aurors at all corners of Azkaban. An escape would be near impossible. Unless, he could think of some way to break out of the room, steal a wand, and disarm all the Aurors, he was trapped in this tiny room. And that plan didn't even include an escape off the island. He'd never be able to swim against the currents and wind nor would he get very far before someone caught him again. And then he'd be asking for more punishment. It would be pointless to make any daring attempts.

Sitting up on the bed, Harry looked out his window and watched the waves crash against the rocky shore. The water was entrancing and the sounds soothing. At least he could comfortably enjoy the peace until he vanished from all existence. Harry rested his head against the cold stone, closing his eyes and listening to the sounds of the ocean.

Bark!

Harry's eyes snapped open and he stared at a furry little face peering at him from outside the window. It was a funny little weasel-like creature with fur like a hedgehog and front paws with long sickle claws that reminded Harry of _Jurassic Park_ 's velociraptors. The sickle claws, three on each front paw, were nearly half the length of the tiny thing's body. The back paws looked normal with little claws. It had beady red eyes and little tufted ears. It tilted its head at Harry.

Harry frowned as the little animal squeaked again. He jumped off the bed as the weasel thing slipped through the bars and jumped on his bed, standing up like a meerkat and looking at him with those devil-like eyes.

Squeak!

Harry stared at the animal, eyeing the sickle claws warily. Didn't it just bark before? The creature seemed to be trying to speak to him. Harry felt like he had heard of these creatures somewhere before, but no name in his head was ringing a bell. What on earth was that thing and what did it want?

Curious, Harry stepped closer to the bed and reached a tentative hand out to the little weasel thing. The creature sniffed before wrapping its sickle claws gently around Harry's outstretched wrist to bring his hand closer. The weasel nuzzled its soft head against Harry's hand and purred, making Harry snort and smile.

Squeak! Purr! Chirrp! Bark, bark!

Harry jumped and quickly backed away as two more weasel-like creatures slipped through his window, joining the one on Harry's bed. There were three now and they all looked up at Harry as if wanting the same attention he had given the first. It struck Harry that he had heard of these creatures before. From Sam's stories of his past.

They were the weasel brothers from Japanese legend. According to that legend, one weasel would knock a victim down, the other inflicted a deep wound – whether cutting out flesh or removing an entire limb – the final weasel would use magic to heal the wound so no blood was ever spilt. It all happened so quickly that to an observer, all it would look like was someone tripping then standing back up with a missing limb or deep scarred wounds. Harry backed away as far as he could from the animals, his back against the locked door now. They were a scary trio, and what had Sam called them . . .?

"Kamaitachi," said a voice from the window.

"Sam!" Harry cried, but remained where he was against the door.

Sam, in his human form, was outside the barred window, his fox ears flicking in amusement at Harry's stance away from the three brothers.

"How are you . . ." Harry asked, trying to figure out how Sam had gotten up the tower.

Sam held up a hand, showing Harry a suction cup like tool strapped around his hand before tapping on the bars of the window impatiently.

"Boys, a little help."

The three weasels leaped towards the bars and, faster than Harry could perceive, the weasels sliced aggressively at the metal, shredding the bars and throwing pieces to the floor. Sam pulled himself into the room and removed the suction tools off him, shoving them into a pocket.

"Sam!" Harry ran forward and hugged his friend. "I thought you had been executed."

"No," Sam said, returning the hug briefly before pushing Harry back. "I misted away before they raised the axe. They clearly weren't expecting that. The ministry here knows less about kitsune then the one in the other reality did."

"Well, they didn't meet you like they did when I was eleven," Harry smiled. He looked down at the weasel brothers sitting at Sam's feet. "I thought these guys only helped you in the other reality. After you saved them and then they returned the favor by helping you escape from prison?"

"Yes, I never met them in this world, but they seem to have a magic of their own," Sam tilted his head at the brothers, his ears pivoting to the side. "Strange how their magic works. They seem to crave their second world back as well. They found me and agreed to help free you."

The weasels barked in agreement.

Harry felt the shimmering start up again, feeling static as it covered his entire body except for his head. Sam reached into a pocket and pulled out a small vial and handed it to Harry.

"Here, this will take care of the shimmering."

Harry recognized the shimmer stopping potion and drank it down quickly. The shimmering stopped and Harry felt relieved. He tossed the vial on the bed and looked at the window.

"We can go out this window!" Harry said, running towards the now bar-less window. He looked out of it and realized it was a long way down. "With those suction things you have."

"I only had enough for one person," Sam said. "It was enough for me to sneak in. Now, we will have to break out this way."

Sam pointed to the locked door.

"That's impossible, Sam," Harry said, nearly groaning in defeat. "Azkaban is nearly inescapable. Except for Sirius and the mass break out, no one has ever really broken out of here without some kind of help."

"That's because no one's ever done it fox style," Sam smiled, adjusting the black cloak he wore.

Harry smiled despite not completely believing Sam could actually get them out of Azkaban. Sam had broken out of a muggle prison before, a highly guarded prison in Russia after falling victim to a few dark wizards who used and abused Sam's trust and loyalty. And even then, Sam had had help from an unlikely wizard friend. But a muggle prison was different from a wizarding prison. Even if they were about to break out fox style.

"So what's the plan?" Harry asked.

"I don't really have one," Sam smirked, earning a groan from Harry. "I'm better at free-styling. I got this far, didn't I?"

"Great, we're dead."

"Not yet, we're not. But it's always a possibility to be prepared for."

"I'm not prepared to die!"

Sam ignored him and moved towards the door, standing just to the side of it. He pounded on the hard wood with a fist. The weasels leaped over and sat at Sam's side. The door opened, hiding Sam and the weasels behind it, and the Auror guarding Harry's room entered holding his wand up and ready. The man glared at Harry.

"What are you banging on the . . ." the man caught sight of the broken bars on the window. "Attempted escape!"

The man waved his wand but before he could say anything he was knocked off his feet.

Harry tried to watch the weasels work carefully, but before he knew it, the man's wand arm had been chopped clean off and the stump was healed, leaving the shoulder unharmed. The severed arm laid a few feet away from the man and he stared at it in shock and horror.

The weasels jumped on to the man's chest, looking down at him curiously.

"What the f-"

The three weasels hissed angrily, holding out their sickle claws to their sides. The man screamed, startling the weasels who quickly clawed at the man's face, again their movements too fast for Harry to accurately see what was happening. Once again, before he knew it, the man's mouth had been severed and healed back up. It was as if they had completely removed his mouth and stitched the skin back in place.

"Mmm, mmm!" the man tried screaming.

"Good job, guys," Sam said, moving out from behind the door.

The Auror looked up in surprise at Sam and tried to stand up but the weasels hissed angrily once more, flashing their claws. Sam squatted down next to the man, resting a knee on the man's chest to keep him down while the weasels moved aside. Sam stared at the sewed up mouth before reaching a hand down and pinching the man's nostrils together. The man immediately began thrashing on the floor, struggling with his remaining arm to try and shove Sam off him. Sam used his own free hand to pin the man's arm down, keeping a hold of the man's nose. After a little over a minute, the man stopped struggling. But Sam didn't let go of the man's nose until another minute had passed. Then the kitsune stood up.

"Let's move, Harry."

Sam quickly left the room, the weasels leaping after him, jumping over each other as if they were playing leap frog. Harry stared in shock at the passed out Auror before moving widely around him and following Sam and the creepy weasels, moving down the stairs of the tower and into the main section of Azkaban.

Sam stopped Harry just before a turn and he looked down the hall warily. Several Aurors were going about their daily business, checking on prisoners and looking for any damage or escape routes. Sam reached into a pants pocket and pulled out a grenade-like weapon. He bit off a piece, Harry wasn't sure what exactly, having little knowledge of weapons but he knew that usually things like that exploded and he stepped back a bit. Sam spit the piece out.

"For the record," Sam said, staring seriously at Harry. "Do not breathe this in."

Sam threw the grenade-like thing down the hall. Harry could hear surprised shouts from the Aurors, and then a loud explosion. Shouts of panic and alarm quickly died and after a few seconds, Sam grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him down the hall.

Harry's eyes watered from the thick, white gas that filled every crevice of the hall. He quickly remembered to hold his breath. They passed several people, Aurors and prisoners alike, who were passed out on the floor. The weasels must be familiar with the gas and knew to hold their breath as they leap frogged along at Sam's heels. The gas cleared as they neared the exit. Sam slowed and Harry gasped for air, not used to holding his breath for so long.

A couple Aurors were moving their way and Sam shoved Harry into a corner and out of sight. The weasels climbed up a large structural support beam.

"What's that?" said one Auror in a shocked tone upon seeing the gas.

"Looks like a knock-out gas! Someone may be trying to escape!"

"We must send a warning out to the department!"

"Perhaps a patronus."

As the Aurors passed Harry and Sam's corner, Sam stepped out and walked behind them before grabbing one in a strong headlock. The Auror shouted in alarm and grabbed at the arms around his neck while the other pulled out his wand and pointed it at Sam.

A loud hissing filled the air and Harry watched as the weasels jumped off the tall beam and lashed at the other Auror, knocking him down and clawing everywhere. Harry could see limbs flying off and he decided he'd rather watch Sam than the evil creatures that reminded him of the cartoon Tasmanian Devil.

Sam kept a strong grip on the Auror who fought hard to rip away from Sam's headlock. He tried kicking and yanking away, but that resulted in them both falling to the ground. Sam continued to maintain a strong grip as the man made strangled noises. Then Sam moved his hands slightly and Harry winced and closed his eyes at the loud crack he heard. He decided not to look in that direction at all.

Sam joined him in the corner again and grabbed Harry's arm, moving them towards the exit, the weasels at Sam's heels.

"Was that necessary?" Harry asked. "They walked right by us!"

"They were going to send a warning out," Sam nearly growled. "I'd rather not have to fight off more Aurors than I can handle. I can only do so much in human form, unless you've forgotten."

Harry hadn't forgotten. There was a reason foxfire and foxmagic were called such – one had to be in fox form to make it. And Sam couldn't mist in human form either. Being in human form made a kitsune very vulnerable as the purpose of being able to shift was for camouflage from humans, the main predator of kitsune next to dragons, bears and large hawks. Harry decided to just allow Sam to do what he needed to do to get them out of Azkaban.

They pushed open the large door and Sam led the way down the rocky shore to the waves.

"Halt!"

"Don't move!"

Two Aurors ran towards them from the water, having just loaded off a boat. They held their wands up and pointed them at Harry and Sam. Harry gulped and looked to Sam, who just held up his arms in surrender, looking careless about the failure to escape off the island. Harry copied Sam's stance. Better to just give in then make it worse, Harry thought. The two Aurors were the same two who had accompanied Proudfoot the day that man had visited him.

"No one make any sudden movements," the dark blonde female said.

"We were given special permission from Proudfoot to use the killing curse if one Harry Potter ever made a daring attempt to escape," said the male with a sinister smile.

The weasel brothers hissed at the Aurors, showing off their long sickle claws.

"If those things move, we curse to kill," the blonde spat.

Sam gave a trill whistle and the three brothers scrambled up Sam's back and onto his shoulders, hissing at the Aurors again. Harry wondered if this really was the end of their escape. Had they really gotten so far just for it to end right here? Harry felt defeat overwhelm him and he just stared at the Aurors and waited for them to take them back inside and lock them up.

"Thought you could get away, didn't you, Potter?" the man said.

"Our hero, always acting before thinking," the blonde said.

"And his loyal friends always right behind him like a loyal pack of mutts," the man sniped at Sam and the strange looking weasels. "Didn't plan so far ahead, did you? How on earth did you think you would escape an island surrounded by miles and miles of water?"

"Maybe they thought they'd . . . gerfer . . . swimmm," the blonde began wobbling on her feet as she spoke, her eyes drooping slightly, her wand lowering more and more.

"That's . . . a gerd one . . . Izziiee," the man was wobbling too, his eyes dropping and his wand arm dropping. "Du yer feel . . . a little . . ."

The man and woman collapsed to the ground, snoring. Behind them stood Severus, his wand pointing down at them, a blue glow dying from it. He looked up at Sam and Harry.

"Strong sleeping spell," he explained.

"Dad!" Harry ran forward and hugged Severus. "You came too?"

"Of course," Severus said, embracing his son. "Now, when we get back to our reality, don't think for a moment that I'll ever break you out of Azkaban. If you did something to deserve some prison time, I'll leave you there."

"Thanks, I'll remember that," Harry snickered.

"The potion is complete. And since you got us into this mess, it'll be easiest for you to wish it away perfectly to make everything go back to normal. Your words have to be precise and well chosen . . ."

"Can we discuss this later?" Sam snapped, stripping off the cloak and tearing his shirt off. The weasels jumped off Sam's shoulders. "We have company."

Aurors were running out of the entrance doors, firing curses at the three. The weasels hissed angrily, flexing their sickle claws at the Aurors.

"On my back, Harry," Severus said.

"On your back?" Harry frowned.

"Yes. We're getting off this dreadful island."

Harry's frown deepened but he jumped on Severus's back as if the man was offering a piggy back ride. He yelped as the weasels jumped on his back, their claws digging into his skin as they gripped him firmly. He looked over at Sam to see him in fox form now, wolf-sized and his tails blazing. The Aurors were still shooting curses at them as they grew closer.

Sam turned and held his tails near his mouth and spat out a ball of fire, which exploded on his own tail fire.

Harry watched amazed as the explosion created a large wall of fire between them and the Aurors who fell back in surprise. The fire wall grew as tall as Azkaban itself and began to circle the prison, trapping the Aurors inside the wall. Sam had told Harry about his ability to create walls of fire, but the fox had never demonstrated the ability, saying the wall grew too big and moved unpredictably and could burn down an entire forest. Rarely did kitsune use such a thing.

"Hold on, Harry!" Severus said before jumping into the air and flying away from the flaming island.

Harry gripped the man tightly when he slipped a bit. The weasels adjusted their hold before curling up in one big pile to fall asleep. Sam's mist appeared at Severus's side, the ghost-like fox forming leaping through the air. The feeling of flying was amazing. Severus had taken Harry for a ride on his back before when he was younger in the other reality, but flying with his father always left him smiling and amazed.

He could see several patronuses leaping away from the island to look for help and possibly alert others. The fire wall seemed to grow thicker as well, nearly swallowing the prison in its flames. The Aurors trapped behind it sprayed water at it to push it back, but to little avail. Harry felt bad for them, but he was still glad to be leaving the awful island.

The potion was ready. He could fix everything.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please share your thoughts! Did you like the Kamaitachi?


	13. No Matter What

I've been working on so much, it's hard to keep up! Not just with writing, but college and all too! I'm trying to get back to all of your reviews, but if I haven't, I'm so sorry! Just pretend this next chapter is an apology gift. Enjoy!

* * *

 _Harry stared up at the mistletoe above him and Cho; somehow, they had maneuvered under it. He had just finished a very successful D.A. session (an organization that Harry had needed his father's permission to begin), and now he and Cho were the only students standing outside the Room of Requirement. He looked back at Cho, who had moved closer, her eyes slowly closing and her lips falling on his. Harry closed his eyes as well, returning the kiss, warmth spreading through his body._

 _Then, the kiss grew very wet and salty – the taste of tears drowned his mouth. Everything was so confusing – why was she crying? They pulled away and Harry stared at Cho, unsure of how to respond. What was one supposed to do when a girl was crying? Harry slowly reached around her and patted her back gently. Cho seemed to pull herself together before quickly leaving. Harry just watched her leave._

: Well, well, aren't you a lady charmer.

 _Harry jumped at Sam's voice as the fox jumped down from a post and landed next to Harry._

 _"What, were you watching us the whole time?"_

: I didn't want to interrupt, _Sam gave an amused smile._

 _Harry rolled his eyes and stared in the direction Cho had taken off in. He wondered what may have brought about the tears and ruined the moment. Was he a bad kisser? Did he do something wrong?_

 _"Why do you think she's so upset?" Harry asked Sam as they walked back to Gryffindor tower._

: How should I know? _Sam replied._

 _"I was just asking. Can't you usually sense what people are feeling? Do you think she even likes me? Why did she even kiss me, then?"_

: What am I, a nakodo? _Sam snapped, pausing a second to snarl at Harry._

 _"A what?"_

: Never mind. I haven't the slightest clue why she's crying or why she kissed you. What I do know is that it was rather amusing to watch.

 _Harry glared down at the fox._

Harry's eyes shot open and he blinked rapidly. It had just been a dream – more like a recollection of his first kiss with Cho back in the Second Chances Reality. That had only been a month or so ago. It had been rather embarrassing knowing Sam had watched the entire encounter. Hermione managed to explain why Cho may have cried, having feelings for two different boys and all. Harry just didn't understand women.

The thought made him think of Ginny. Was she really not pregnant anymore? If that was the case, Harry would make sure to kill Proudfoot before he wished to . . . wished to what? What did he really want to wish for? Did he want to leave this reality and return to his own? Or did he want to stay here where he originally belonged? He was expecting a baby in this world – his morality told him to stay. But his heart wanted to leave.

 _: It's about time you woke up,_ Sam said, his misty form flying above Harry in a circle before returning to Severus's side. _Long trip, isn't it?_

They were still in the air, flying to their destination in the darkening sky, the sun turning clouds purplish. Harry looked over Severus's shoulder at the clouds below him, trying to peer through their fluffiness. He could barely make out the houses of a neighborhood.

"We're almost there," Severus said. "Should be about another half hour."

"Good," Harry said. "Then I have to make that wish, don't I?"

"You're conflicted?" Severus questioned.

"What makes you say that?" Harry asked in a rather unconvincing tone.

Suddenly, Harry felt himself floating away from Severus's back. He tried to grab a hold of his father's robes, but they were out of his reach. The weasels on his back gave a surprised squeak. Below him, Severus rolled on to his back to look up at Harry. A force still pulled Harry along with Severus and it made Harry feel rather airsick.

"While you were in prison," Severus began, "Sam told me about the exchange you and Mrs. Weasley had. She's pregnant, you're expecting, and that makes you feel conflicted."

Harry didn't say anything – he was more concerned about whatever spell Severus was using to keep him afloat; wondering when it would wear off and send him falling to his death below.

Severus flew up to Harry, using a hand to push him in an upright stance as if they were both standing now, but still flying alongside each other.

"Focus, Harry," Severus said. Harry noticed the wand in Severus's hand glowing red, whatever spell that was keeping him afloat still effective. "I understand what it's like expecting a baby. Unless you've forgotten, I was expecting you fifteen years ago."

Harry offered a small smile, his fear of flying solo under a spell fading.

"It's exciting and unreal and . . . and terrifying and stressful," Severus chuckled. "And after nine months, when you're holding a little life you created – it's . . . indescribable."

Severus was quiet for a moment and Harry suddenly remembered his airborne situation. He looked down and this time, no clouds hindered his view of the ground miles below them. Severus didn't seem to mind the height, though he could fly with no problem. The man seemed to be lost in a reverie. Harry cleared his throat, looking down at the ground again. The weasels digging their sickle claws in his back was starting to hurt.

Severus eyes seemed to clear up as he stared at Harry. He smirked and suddenly dropped down. Harry lost his breath as the force dropped him down as well, falling after Severus. He waved his arms manically as he fell in the sky, the weasels squeaking in disagreement. Sam's mist leaped circles around them. Then the falling came to a sudden halt, and Harry's breath caught in his throat once more. He breathed as a hand straightened him to a standing stance once more, Severus's evil smirk still there.

"Don't do that again!" Harry yelled.

"What?" Severus questioned, raising an eyebrow. "This?"

He dropped down a foot, Harry falling with him, jerking to a halt once more. Harry held his arms out in case he fell more and the weasels hissed angrily, showing off their sickle claws over Harry's shoulders at Severus.

Severus just smiled. Sam flew by them in a circle.

 _: Easy, boys,_ he called to the trio.

The three weasels still growled, but lowered their paws, clinging to Harry's shoulders. Harry breathed a bit, catching back his winded breath and looked at Severus expectantly. The man was smiling, but it was more affectionate and playful than the evil smirk he had earlier. Harry smiled back.

"I really don't like freefalling," Harry admitted.

"You never have," Severus said.

They were quiet for a moment as they flew across the sky. Harry felt the wind in his hair cooling him after the adrenaline rush he had experienced.

"Do you wish to stay here for the baby?" Severus suddenly asked.

Harry shot Severus a bewildered look. He had no idea what he wanted to do. Did he want to stay for the baby? He would miss his Second Chances world terribly. He loved having his family there, but he loved Ginny, too, and the family he was creating here. Even after all those years living in the other reality, he still loved her – didn't he? Or was it more an obligatory love from his past with her in this world? His emotions couldn't have changed that much. He knew Ginny in the other reality had feelings for him and he knew he probably had feelings for her there as well. Could he love both Ginnys? Or did he love one more than the other? And if he did, which one?

Maybe it wasn't women he didn't understand. Maybe it was just pure emotions he didn't get.

"I don't know what I want," he answered his father.

"That's understandable," Severus said. "You seem to remember this universe the most out of the three of us. Or, well, out of me and you."

Sam flew continuously around them, saying nothing.

"I keep forgetting that Sam has just as much memory as you do, if not more for the number of years he has on him."

Harry just watched the white mist trot through the sky, graceful and slightly unhinged in form. He thought of the lives he'd be letting down if he didn't wish to return to the alternate world. Sam had no family in this world, no one to love and protect like his sister, her husband and kits in the Second Chances Reality. He thought of his uncles, how they were still alive in the other reality and how even his Aunt Petunia and Dudley had a better relationship with him there. And there was also Severus – and Severus's only family was his son.

Harry sighed as the thoughts left him, replaced by thoughts of the benefits of this world. He was a hero in this world, someone who had saved the world from Voldemort's reign. He had been an auror, rising to be the head of his department. He had had a beautiful fiancé who was pregnant with his firstborn. He had had great friends who stood by his side from the time he was eleven years old.

Now, he was a wanted criminal; a dark lord in the making; an escaped convict.

He wasn't anything to this world anymore.

But could he repair all of it and have what he once did? Could he wish the events away and make it so he had never gotten drunk at that bar? Could he wish all the pain and torment he had caused on his friends and Ginny?

Did he even want to do that? If he did, what would happen to Sam? To Severus? To the Second Chances Reality? Would they disappear? Would they – heaven forbid – die?

Harry sighed. He looked down and nearly smiled as 4 Privet Drive came in view. They slowly dropped down, very slowly which Harry was thankful for. They landed in the backyard, Sam solidifying next to Severus, neither moving. They stared at Harry and waited.

The weasels jumped off Harry's back and scurried under the wolf-sized fox, standing up on their hindlegs like meerkats to stare up at Harry as well. Harry wondered how much the weasels understood.

"I really don't know what I want to do," Harry finally said. "I wouldn't . . . mind staying, I guess. If I can wish everything that's happened away, then maybe . . . I don't know . . . but I would hate to say goodbye to the Second Chances world."

 _: You can't have the best of both worlds,_ Sam's voice said drearily.

"I know, Sam," Harry sighed.

"It's a huge choice you'll have to make," Severus added. "You're either staying here," Severus held his hands up to gesture around himself. "Or you're wishing to go back to the other world."

Harry felt frustration with the whole thing. It was always him! He always had to be destined for something. Destined to be the Chosen One. Destined to kill Voldemort. Destined to get drunk enough and wake up in a new reality with memory of his previous life. Destined to make the stupid wish to get back to that new reality. Why him? Why? Why? Why? He grabbed at his hair and pulled at it.

"Calm down, Harry," Severus said. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the distraught young man. "Just take a deep breath. Breathe in. Breathe out."

"Why can't you make the wish?" Harry asked.

"I couldn't come up with the right words. It'd be difficult to fix a mistake I never made."

"I never wanted to end the other world," Harry admitted. "I was always so afraid I would wake up and find out everything had just been a dream."

 _: I can relate to that,_ Sam said. _It always felt so surreal. I never thought I deserved waking up in a world that gave me a family. I lived a terrible life in this reality. I murdered for my own gain, stole for my own pleasure, and I let my anger and pain consume me. The death of my parents, my hate for humans, my ever-growing greed. It ate me alive._

Harry listened carefully to Sam. The kitsune never liked talking about who he once was, he regretted every bit of himself.

 _: I always thought I would wake up strangled on that rope, if I wasn't already dead and living some kind of undeserving heaven. I may have questioned it for years, why I was still alive, why I wasn't dead, why I was being offered this life. But having the experience taught me more than I would have ever learned in this world. I let go of the death of my parents, managed to . . . forgive it. And I learned to take advantage of what I was being given. And earned myself a family I will always love._

Harry smiled at Sam, Severus pulling away from the hug to smile down at Sam as well.

 _: Mizu ni nagasu. Kiwouerunoni ichiban yokatta jiki wa 20-nen maedatta. Ni-banme ni yoi jiki wa imada._

The weasels chirped happily at Sam as he finished speaking in his native tongue.

"What does that mean?" Harry frowned.

 _: It means to forgive the past and to leave it behind you, look forward to what is ahead of you and take advantage of what you have now. Live your life with no burdens, anger, or regret._

"Well," Severus stated, raising an eyebrow. "As you've said before, Sam, you definitely learn a lot in three hundred years."

 _: There's no way I can't,_ Sam flicked his ears, _and I'm still learning. I will tell you this, Harry. I loved my life in the second world. If I had the chance to have it back, I would leap on it like a starved cat on a drowning mouse. But whatever you decide to wish, I will be at your side like a lassie dog._

Harry squatted down and stroked Sam's fur, the fox leaning into his hand. What a very muggle reference to make, Harry couldn't help but think. A lassie dog - Sam had actually compared himself to a dog.

 _: Unless, of course, you wish me dead,_ Sam added cheekily. But then _I might take from my father and have spirit dreamwalking magic within me. Then I'll haunt your dreams. That's still with you, isn't it?_

Harry laughed, "I guess so."

The three weasels rushed forward, hooking their sickle claws around Harry's wrist gently and pulling his hand down to rub their faces against it. Harry laughed again as he gave the jealous creatures some attention, wriggling his fingers against their soft, brown fur. They purred happily.

"You guys are cute," Harry said. "Creepy, but cute."

The weasels chirred at him before backing up against Sam's legs and watching him with a curious look, scratching simultaneously at a tufted ear and then shaking their fur out. Harry shook his head at them.

"And I'll be here for you as well," Severus said. "Even though I'll admit I'd rather return home. Unlike either of you, I have no memories of this world except for some scattered visions. But no matter what you wish for, I'll be by your side. We are a family. We stick together. It may be hard to wish all this away and still keep us around – that's asking for a complicated wish that might be beyond the potion's capability. But if you desire to stay here, it's worth a shot."

"Thanks, Dad," Harry hugged his father once more, glad no one was pressuring him to do a specific thing. They were with him no matter what. He knew they both craved to return to the alternate world – Harry did too. He just didn't know what exactly was the right thing to do. He didn't like the feeling that he might be abandoning Ginny and the baby – he really didn't believe Proudfoot could be so cruel to actually do such a thing.

But he also didn't like the feeling that he was preventing Severus and Sam from returning to their earned second chances. Who knew returning back to the original reality would make everything so difficult – so complicated. Was this how Cho felt when she had kissed him in tears? Torn and conflicted between two potential rights and two potential wrongs? Harry felt ready to cry himself.

"Let's get inside, Harry," Severus said, grabbing Harry's arm gently and leading him inside. Sam and the weasels followed, Sam walking gracefully and the weasels leap frogging over each other to the house.

Once inside, Severus pushed Harry down into a chair and prepared everyone tea. Severus carried out a teapot while a large bowl, three mini bowls, and two tea cups followed behind him.

Chantilly flew over to Harry and gently nipped his ear. She hooted happily to see Harry.

"Hey girl," Harry stroked her feathers. "I've missed you two. Have you been keeping everyone company while I was gone?"

Chantilly rubbed her head against Harry's.

"She's been as annoying as usual," Severus answered for her, pouring tea in the three mini bowls and setting them down for the weasels. Sam was already lapping out of his large bowl. The weasels happily lapped at their bowls as well, leap frogging over each other every few second to drink from each other's bowls. Harry laughed at them.

"Do they have names?" Harry asked as Chantilly flew back to her perch.

Sam licked his chops and sat up, tilting his head at the weasels.

 _: Kama, Kaze, and Tachi. But I can never tell who is who. And they don't help at all._

"Can you understand them?"

 _: In the way you and I communicate, no. But I understand their way of communicating: through snarls, growls, body language and all. I am still an animal, and while it is not advanced communication, it is still commonly used, even more so than your human languages._

Harry figured Sam had a point. There were definitely a lot of different species on the earth, even some yet to be discovered. And any animals managed to understand each other to an extent. Humans seemed dis-included.

"You will have to make that wish soon, Harry," Severus interrupted, handing Harry a cup of tea. "You need to make a decision."

Harry held the teacup to his nose and breathed in the scent, closing his eyes. What should he do? Stay or leave? No matter what, his family was at his side. And that was just fine with him.

 _: We'll have to cut your decision time short. We have company,_ Sam said, his nose twitching madly and his ears pivoting every which way. He ran over to a window and looked outside, peering carefully under a curtain. _Aurors. Everywhere. They've found us._

Harry growled and threw the teacup. When was he going to find some god damn peace and quiet?

* * *

Nakodo: A Japanese matchmaker

: Mizu ni nagasu. Kiwouerunoni ichiban yokatta jiki wa 20-nen maedatta. Ni-banme ni yoi jiki wa imada.

Translation: Let flow in the water. The best time to plant trees was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

Name meanings: Kama: Japanese tool similar to a sickle

Kaze: wind

Tachi: sword

FYI: Samuru (Sam's full name): he whose name is god. That has nothing to do with Sam's character, (unless of course you think he's God), I just really like the name Samuru. I'm sure you can tell what my two favorite Japanese mythical creatures are though.

Please Review!


	14. The Wishing Potion

I really am enjoying this side adventure in the Second Chances Reality and I hope you all are as well. Thank you all for the great reviews and encouragement! Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

"We always seem to have company, don't we, Sam?" Severus asked sarcastically as he pulled out his wand.

Harry stood out of the chair, watching as Chantilly's feathers ruffled anxiously and the weasels hissed and flexed their claws in preparation. Out of habit, Harry reached for his own wand, only to remember that it had been removed from him, probably by Proudfoot. The weasels charged the window to look outside. Sam moved away and tilted his head at Severus.

 _: Well, it's not my fault Aurors keep showing up._

"I never said it was," Severus replied. "Let's move, Harry."

Severus rushed down the hall to the room where the cauldron with the wishing potion was, Harry right behind him. Sam, the weasels, and Chantilly followed as well. Severus grabbed a vial and spooned a good amount of the wishing potion from the cauldron to the vial.

"You'll have to make this quick," said Severus as he eyed how much was in the vial. "The right dose is crucial for a wish as big as this one. And we don't have much time. Here, state your wish and take it now . . ."

As Severus handed the vial to Harry, the vial exploded as a blasting hex hit it. Sam barked and slammed his body into the door, slamming it shut on the Auror's face as the man tried to enter the room. Sam used his strength to keep the door shut, his paws sliding on the carpet as more Aurors tried to push through. Severus quickly grabbed another vial and filled it, eyeing it briefly before corking it.

A large spell blasted the door right off, throwing everyone in the room off their feet. Sam hit the wall on the other side of the room. Harry fell over, as did Severus, who dropped the vial. Luckily, it didn't break – just rolled away.

"Harry!" Severus called to him, pointing at the vial as he pulled out his wand. "That's the last vial I have!"

Harry's eyes flew open and he dove for it. He was stunned before he could touch the vial, watching horrified as it rolled under a dresser. Harry willed his magic to break free of the petrificus totalus he was under. An Auror stood above him, keeping a wand trained on him as he scanned the room for the vial of the mysterious potion.

Harry kept urging his magic to break free of the spell, his arms loosening and his legs gaining mobility once more, wiggling his fingers and toes experimentally. He eyed the Auror's wand and when his chest and head were free of the spell, he swiped his feet under the Auror's, knocking the man off his own two legs.

Harry quickly pinned the man down, forcing his arms to the ground. The Auror kicked at him, managing to catch him in the ribs. Harry grunted but let go of one arm to punch the man's face repeatedly. The man used his freed hand to punch Harry in the stomach and push him off, rolling on top of Harry.

During the tussle, Harry managed to snatch the wand from the man and pointed it up at his chest. The man jumped to his feet and quickly backed up as Harry stood to his feet. Harry cast a stunning spell and waited until the man had fallen to the floor unconscious.

Harry looked around the room. Sam was keeping more Aurors from advancing further into the room through the large hole in the wall where the door once was by blasting balls of fire and breathing flames. Severus was firing several stunning spells and a few curses as well. Some Aurors were lying on the floor unconscious in the hallway. A couple Aurors were trying to sneak around the chaos, stealthily moving behind other Aurors who acted as shields and blocked Severus's curses.

The cauldron that had held the wishing potion had been hit by a curse, a large portion of pewter blown away and the blue and red concoction oozing out and dripping to the floor, spreading and seeping into the carpet, ruined. The vial was the last of the potion.

Bark, Bark!

Harry looked down. The three weasels were sitting at his feet, one of them holding up the vial of the wishing potion. Harry smiled down at them.

"Thanks, guys!"

However, before he could accept the vial, the glass container flew out of the weasels' clawed grip and into the hands of an Auror who had slipped by Sam and Severus, the two still preoccupied with Aurors in the front of the room, keeping as many as they could from enetering the small room.

Harry held up the wand he had taken, mirroring the stance of the other Auror, each sizing the other up and daring the other to make the first move. Harry didn't want to risk damaging the vial. The weasels at his heels hissed at the other man, judging how fast they could move to slice off an arm or leg.

The Auror took a step forward and Harry took a step back, realizing that his back now touched the wall behind him. He was pinned and cornered, but he couldn't risk stunning the man and causing the vial to drop and possibly break or roll into the chaos behind the Auror. He could try levitating the vial out of the man's hand, but he didn't want the man to tighten his grip to the point he broke the frail glass.

The weasels let out a squeak and looked up at Harry. It seemed that they were prepared for anything Harry tried.

Harry decided to take his chances.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled.

Before the Auror could raise a shield, the jet red light struck him, causing his wand and the potion vial to fly out of the man's hand. Harry cast a stunner just as quickly and rendered the man unconscious, the weasels darting after the man's wand, catching it and breaking it with their claws. The vial still flew through the air and Harry pointed his wand towards it.

A loud screech filled the room.

Chantilly caught the vial in mid-air, using a gentle but firm grip on the vial.

"Good girl, Chantilly," Harry praised as the owl flew towards him.

"Diffindo!" a voice shouted and the spell struck Chantilly.

A deep cut slashed through the owl's throat and the bird fell to the ground lifelessly, reminding Harry of Hedwig's tragic end. The vial fell to the ground as well. Harry rushed forward a bit too slow, but the weasels dashed under his feet and caught the vial before it could hit the ground. They chirped happily.

A spell flew past Harry's head, blasting a hole in the wall behind him. Harry looked at an Auror advancing towards him and used the disarming spell, effectively removing the man's wand. Thinking that this was the Auror that killed Chantilly, Harry swiped his wand and yelled, "Diffindo!" A deep cut slashed through the man's chest and the man fell to the ground gasping for air.

Harry took the vial from the weasels, holding it carefully in his hands. The Aurors were advancing into the room more. They had to leave! Harry inched closer to Severus and Sam, firing stunners and disarming spells as he did so. Severus was holding up a large shield as the Aurors fired more and more curses to break through it. Sam breathed a flame to back them up. They were practically at a standstill. A perfect time to make an escape.

Suddenly, a strong spell hit Severus's shield and shattered it, knocking the man off his feet. Harry ducked down behind the table where the broken cauldron was as curses fired at his head. Severus army crawled behind the table as well.

"Do you have the potion?" the man asked.

Harry held it up.

"Good," Severus said. "We need to . . ."

Harry gasped as the potion flew out of his hand, answering to a summoning charm. Harry and Severus jumped to their feet, both putting up a defense shield. Proudfoot stood victoriously with the potion vial in his hand on the other side of the table. Severus and Harry had to keep their wands fixed on the shields in front of them to avoid being hit by spells being thrown by other Aurors.

Sam was nowhere to be seen, possibly having gone invisible, but flames flew at the other Aurors from different directions to keep them back at the front of the room and away from Harry, Severus, and inconveniently, Proudfoot. The Aurors fired spells at all directions to try and catch the unseen fox, as well as the occasional few at Harry and Severus.

"What a dilemma we have found ourselves in," Proudfoot smirked. "And all over this?"

The man held up the vial and looked curiously at the potion inside, an eerily glowing blue with reddish swirls mixed in.

"I don't know what you call this alien substance," Proudfoot continued, "but you will not be using it. I should destroy it now, but I think I'll save it for testing later so we can figure out what you two have really been up to."

Another Auror managed to make it past Sam's flames and threw curses at the shields Harry and Severus were keeping up. Proudfoot just watched with an evil glint in his eyes.

"I'm not sure what you two think you can do," the man said. "There's at least twenty of us still standing. And just the two of you. And that little fox friend of yours." Proudfoot looked back at where the flames were falling hazardously at the other Aurors trapped from advancing further unless they risked dodging the fire. "Someone will eventually hit him with a curse and if not, we will break through your defenses and he will have no choice but to surrender – as will the two of you. Did you honestly think that you could get away with all of this? That we would never be a step ahead of you? Whatever your mission is, it ends here. Even if we have to kill all three of you now, this ends to- – Ahh!"

In movements to fast to describe, the weasel brothers had launched themselves at Proudfoot's hand and cleanly chopped it off and healing the wound back up. The severed hand fell to the ground, but one weasel caught the potion vial before it could do the same.

"What the fuck are those!?" Proudfoot shouted as he stepped back, shock and pain from the loss of his hand hitting him quickly. He stared wide-eyed at the weasels, forgetting to even lift his wand.

The auror at Proudfoot's side pointed his wand down at the small creatures.

The weasel that had caught the vial made two leaps towards Harry and Severus when thin cords wrapped themselves around the little weasel, tightening and strangling around his neck and chest. The small animal squealed and squeaked as he was choked, releasing the vial and spinning in circles. The other two barked and whined in alarm, circling their brother and watching helplessly.

A loud blast shook the house, knocking everyone off their feet, including the Auror that attacked the weasel, Proudfoot, Severus and Harry. Harry felt around for his glasses and put them on just in time to see Sam attacking the fallen Auror at Proudfoot's side, looking like a rabid wolf lashing at the throat of its victim, exacting terrible vengeance. Harry winced and shut his eyes tightly as the man's strangled, guttural cries quickly died.

The vial had rolled in Severus's direction and the man grabbed it and pocketed it, pushing up so he was on his knees. He reached for Harry and pulled him up and close.

"We need to leave before everyone is standing and charging us," Severus said. "Sam!"

Sam, his jaws bloody, leaped over to them and allowed Severus to pull him in and close.

"Wait!" Harry stopped Severus. "What about the brothers?"

Harry looked at the three brothers. The one that had been attacked was lying limp on the floor, the thin cords still tight around its body, the beady red eyes completely clear now. The other two were curled around him.

 _: They're not going to leave him,_ Sam sighed, dropping his head and ears, his eyes closing.

"But the aurors will kill them," Harry said.

 _: Then they'll die together,_ Sam insisted, lifting his head and his ears perking. _We have to leave. Let's go, Severus._

Severus pulled them all in close and disapparated just as Proudfoot stood up and rushed towards them.

* * *

Harry allowed the wave of nausea to pass before opening his eyes to see where they were. He recognized the Whomping Willow a couple feet in front of them and looked back at Hogwarts.

"Here?" asked Harry. "You brought us here? Why here?"

"So you can ask questions," Severus growled in response, reaching down to pull Harry to his feet. Severus reached into a pocket and shoved the potion vial at Harry. "Take it now – make your wish!"

Sam trotted in circles around them, anxious and alert, seeming completely unease with the surroundings.

Harry uncorked the bottle and closed his eyes, trying to pull his thoughts together and find the right words.

Several loud cracks caught everyone's attention. Aurors were apparating not ten yards away from them, Proudfoot with them, his left arm still missing his hand, a scar circling around where the appendage had been removed. Everyone advanced their way.

"We have a tracker on you, Potter!" Proudfoot revealed. "Since you were moved to Azkaban, we've been following your every move!"

"Of course!" Severus mumbled loudly to himself as he backed away. "That explains a lot."

 _: I probably should have thought of that,_ Sam said, backing away as well. _We should probably run._

"They won't all chase just one of us," Severus said. "They want us all. Sam, forbidden forest. Harry, Shrieking Shack. Sam and I will meet you there. Let's try and get rid of these Aurors."

 _: Affirmative._

"Got it," Harry said, corking the vial and shoving it in a pocket.

"Go! Now!"

Severus took to the air and flew towards Hogwarts, Sam darted towards the Forbidden Forest, and Harry started dodging flailing limbs from the Whomping Willow. Aurors split up and chased the three runners, throwing curses as they did so.

Harry managed to avoid the limbs, unlike a couple unlucky Aurors, and he slid down into the secret passage to the Shrieking Shack. He ran as fast as he could down the tunnel, throwing stunners, disarming spells, and even a few blasting and sectumsempra curses, hoping he was catching some of the Aurors that were following him. He could hear the thundering feet growing quieter and he figured he was doing pretty good.

Halfway down the tunnel, Harry used a spell to animate some of the tree roots to lift up and trip the Aurors behind him. He animated some longer vine-like roots to snatch them by their necks and constrict. An idea hit him and he stopped and turned around. He waved the wand in a circular pattern.

The earth in front of him began to push in closer toward each other, closing the tunnel. Using the best of his transfiguration skills, he turned the dirt to hard stone, making it harder to blast or burn through. It would delay them just long enough. Harry turned and ran, animating more roots and even some stones to explode or throw themselves at the Aurors.

Finally, he arrived to the Shrieking Shack. He climbed up the stairs until he reached the room where Peter Pettigrew had been revealed to be the traitor as well as Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. Harry slammed the door shut and paced, grabbing at his hair and wondering what to do.

A white mist flew in and solidified into Sam who sat on the bed.

 _: Good, you're here_ , the fox smiled. _Make the wish. Take the potion._

"There's no way those Aurors aren't right behind me. They have to be close."

 _: The ones that chased me are all dead,_ Sam informed. _You couldn't have done the same?_

"Merlin, Sam, what did you do?"

 _: Fire, of course. And there are a lot of dangerous creatures in that forest that lent a hand. Not so much to help me, but they came in handy._

"I can't keep doing this!" Harry exclaimed, pacing and rubbing at his face. "All this murder and death and . . ."

 _: Then end it! Make the wish! Do it now!_

Bang!

The door blasted open and Proudfoot walked intently in, his wand held high and aimed at Harry. Sam leaped over Harry and landed between the two, snarling at the Auror.

"You just don't give up, do you?" Proudfoot snarled.

Two other Aurors appeared, the same man and lady that had been accompanying Proudfoot since Azkaban. They stepped into the room, wands fixed on Sam while Proudfoot kept his on Harry.

"You make this harder than it has to be," Proudfoot continued. "If you had just stayed in Azkaban, so many lives would have been spared. Do you like these bloodbaths? Do you like killing? Do you like that monster?"

Proudfoot motioned with his handless arm towards Sam, his wand not moving away from its target. Sam snarled at the gesture, but had to keep a closer eye on the two wands pointed at him.

"What is it you want, Potter? More fame? More glory? Was being the Boy Who Lived – the Chosen One – not enough for you? Do you seek power? Well, Potter? What is it? What do you want from the Wizarding World?"

Sam and Harry both backed up as Proudfoot and the other two Aurors advanced slowly into the room. Harry didn't dare lift his wand – doing so might trigger a reaction from Proudfoot or his two cronies. Sam's fur bristled, his bloodied jaws snarling wide open, his tails flicking every which way, but he didn't ignite them, possibly for the same reasons as Harry.

"What I want," Harry began, "is for all of my friends to be happier. Safe. Together. Alive."

Proudfoot said nothing, just glared at Harry as he inched closer step by step.

"I want everyone to have the families they deserve. To have the right to a second chance. To give back what I destroyed. Selfishly. Childishly. Insolently."

At that, Sam swung his head around to look back at Harry, his ears falling back and his head tilting.

"I want to restore the mistake I made. Return everything back to the way it was. Fix it. Revive it. Save it."

Proudfoot and his two partners stopped advancing and just glared at the fox and Harry.

"And never destroy it again," Harry ended.

Sam smiled at him before looking back at the three Aurors and snarling, fur bristling once again.

"How touching, Potter," Proudfoot sneered. "But it's a little late for that, don't you think?"

"It's never too late to start over."

"Then this will be a hard lesson for you!"

Proudfoot raised his wand at the same time as something crashed through the roof of the Shrieking Shack, grabbed the man at Proudfoot's right and flew back through the hole in the roof with its victim. Severus, Harry thought.

With the distraction, Sam leaped at the woman, knocking her down and cracking her wand in his teeth. He snarled down at the woman who stared at the bloody mouth with fear.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry pointed his wand at Proudfoot, who quickly blocked it.

"Stupefy!" Proudfoot fired back at him.

Harry dodged it and sent the bed flying at Proudfoot with a charm. Proudfoot fell to the ground as he jumped out of the way.

As Proudfoot stood to his feet, Harry felt two hands grab his upper arms and lift him into the air. Harry looked up at Severus as he flew them to the roof. Severus set Harry down gently before landing himself.

"I'm going back to stall Proudfoot and the other Aurors still arriving," Severus said. The man reached into Harry's pocket and pulled out the vial, shoving it into Harry's arms. "Make the wish. Do it now."

"I know what I want to wish for," Harry said.

"Good," Severus gave a nod. "And I pray it works."

"Wait!" Harry said before Severus could fly away again. The man hovered a few feet in the air. The idea of the potion not working had been a small thought Harry pushed to the back of his mind. Now that he was faced with the strong possibility, it ate at his nerves and faith. "What if it doesn't work?"

Severus sighed and lowered himself back to the roof. He rested a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Then it was worth the shot," the man said.

"Dad," Harry pleaded. "If it doesn't work – all of this . . . this destruction for nothing? This death, and murder, and . . ."

Harry thought about what Proudfoot had told him just moments ago as the man demanded to know what Harry was after. If the potion didn't work, it would have been entirely for nothing. All the bloodshed and bloodbaths for something that didn't have a chance of working to begin with.

"Harry," Severus gently griped Harry's chin so the young man was looking at him. "I know this is hard for you. Everything you've been through since you woke up back in this reality has been one obstacle after the other. Another hardship, another loss, and little gain."

Harry's eyes looked down as he thought about the day he first woke up back in this universe.

"Look at me."

Harry looked back at Severus.

"Being able to wish away your mistakes is a wonderful and dangerous thing. It is something that shouldn't even exist. In life, we are meant to learn from our mistakes and fix the messes we make. And yet, the greatest opportunities in life never come twice. And if you don't take full advantage of that opportunity, then it'll slip right through your fingers. No matter what happens, it will always be worth the risks we've taken. We don't belong here, Harry. We aren't the same we were in this world or even the Second Chances Reality. If you wish to restore, revive, and save – make the wish."

Severus let Harry go and slowly hovered into the air.

"No matter what happens, we will still have each other."

And with that, Severus flew off to keep Proudfoot and the other Aurors from disturbing Harry's wish.

Harry sighed. This was it. He had to make the wish. And pray that it worked. Harry took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he brought the vial to his lips. Please work, he thought, for the love of Merlin – please, please work. Thinking about his words carefully, Harry picked out what exactly he wanted to say.

"I wish that, in the Second Chances Reality, I never told my father, Severus Snape, about the original universe."

Harry threw back the vial and downed the potion as quickly as he could.

Then waited.

And waited.

And waited.

* * *

Wow, this story advances more than I originally plan for each chapter! It just seems to write itself. I hope you are enjoying it! Please review and leave your thoughts.


	15. Victory or Defeat

Here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Why wasn't he returning to the alternate reality yet?

Was it working?

Had he said the wish wrong?

He had really put a lot of thought into what he should say; perhaps he should have been even more specific? Harry didn't think he could be any clearer with his words. He looked at the empty vial, peering inside to make sure he had drunk it all. There wasn't a drop left, though the strong aroma still overpowered the inside and Harry snorted and pulled his head away. But the vial was empty, every drop of the potion he had swallowed – it just wasn't working.

An overwhelming sadness drowned Harry. So that was it? He was never getting back to the alternate universe. He had completely destroyed that world. Did he?

Angry, he threw the vial as hard as he could, listening with satisfaction as it shattered on the ground below. Now what was he supposed to do? Did the potion take time to work? Maybe that was the problem.

But it shouldn't. Harry remembered when he had first taken the potion as a test subject at ten years old (Albus's idea, not his father's) and wished for a gigantic chocolate frog that the entire student population of Hogwarts had torn apart and enjoyed. He had made the wish and the frog had appeared almost instantly in a strange vortex.

So why wasn't anything happening now? This couldn't be right. Something was wrong. Perhaps the potion had been brewed too quickly. He had to get to Severus. How disappointed the man would be about this – Sam, too.

"Harry Potter!"

Proudfoot was calling him. Wonderful. Just who he wanted to hear from.

"We have Severus Snape and your little fox friend! Come down from that roof with your hands up and wand tossed aside! Or we kill your friends here and now!"

Harry sighed. It could be a bluff; it could be the truth. Harry figured he better play it safe and just follow Proudfoot's orders for the moment. It wasn't like he had any backup plan. What was it that Severus said in the case that the potion didn't work?

 _"Then it was worth the shot,"_ the man's words echoed in his head.

Had it been worth it? Harry sighed and scuffled down the roof to the gutters. He peered over the edge. The wind started to pick up, gently blowing through his hair. Though it was weak, it made him feel a bit unsteady on the edge of the roof.

Severus was pinned to the ground by two Aurors, wands pointed at his head. Sam had ropes tied around his legs, tails, and muzzle, and even from the distance Harry could see that they were magically tightening the more Sam resisted them. And Auror kept him pinned to the ground, nearly lying on top of the large fox while two other Aurors kept their wands trained on him. Harry sighed. Damn but it was hard to get rid of these Aurors.

Harry wondered what he was supposed to do. Did they want him to jump? He couldn't fly like Severus could – he hoped no one thought he could. He thought about jumping down into the hole in the roof, but what if he broke a leg or something? Not that pain or broken limbs mattered anymore. He could risk injury now. There was no harm in it.

Before Harry could try crawling back up the roof and attempt lowering himself through that hole, a man appeared behind him, carefully moving down the roof. Harry tried to stand but as he was halfway balanced, the man kicked his back and he fell off the roof, the wand he had flying out of his hand.

"Harry!" he heard Severus yell.

Falling was not a fun experience and the wind grew a bit stronger, breezing through his robes and tickling his chest as he fell. He tried to catch himself on the gutter but his hands slipped and his head smashed into a lower section of the house and tumbled to the ground, landing face first in the dirt. The impact of hitting the dirt left him breathless and he swore he heard a couple loud cracks. He hoped a rib wasn't broken. Or two. His head was throbbing and the world around him spun. He gripped his head, feeling something wet, and his hands pulled away red stained.

The Aurors around him were laughing.  
"How's it feel to finally not be in control, Potter," Proudfoot spoke, stepping towards Harry.

"How's it feel to see all your plans unravel the wrong way – fail to accomplish what you had hoped?"

Harry tried to glare up at Proudfoot, but the world was still spinning and all he could make out was a blurred figure. A foot connected with his ribs, eliciting another sickening crack. Harry gasped and gripped his side, flashes of color invading the spinning environment. Harry rolled on to his back.

"You don't feel so mighty now, do you, savior?" Proudfoot sneered. "You always have to be the center of attention, don't you? Well, let me tell you, when I am head of the Auror Department, I will be sure to have you executed for good! Then I'll never have to hear of the great Harry Potter ever again."

The other Aurors cheered him on. It made Harry briefly wonder how many dirty Aurors there were in the department. It was all about eliminating competition for Robards' place as Head Auror. That was what Proudfoot wanted – but it seemed he also wanted to end the fame Harry had gained by saving the Wizarding World from Voldemort. Was it jealousy? Or was Harry just getting in the way of some fantasy Proudfoot had for himself? Harry didn't know or care. He just wanted to breathe but then Proudfoot stomped down on his chest, causing Harry to lose his breath once more. The Aurors laughing seemed to encourage Proudfoot's actions.

"Leave him alone!" Severus snapped.

Harry's vision finally cleared and he watched as Proudfoot turned and stalked back to where Severus was pinned down. The man managed to glare at Proudfoot from his position. Proudfoot squatted and stared down at Severus.

"Did you say something, Snape?"

"I said," Severus growled, "leave him alone."

"And what are you going to do if I don't?" Proudfoot stood and kicked Severus hard in the face.

Harry winced as he heard a crack and Severus scream out. His vision finally cleared and he could see Severus, bloodied in the face and his nose at an odd angle. He cringed at the sight and rolled over to push himself up. An Auror he hadn't noticed before kicked him back down, then placed a knee on his chest to keep him down.

The wind started to howl angrily in the distance, but it sounded so faint in Harry's ears as a ringing filled them.

"Now that we have you all confined," Proudfoot said loudly, "you will all spend the rest of your days behind bars in Azkaban! I guess we should make this legal and read to you what you've been charged with and what your rights are. Harry Potter, you are charged with bringing back the dead, assault on your fellow Aurors, treason, and harboring a classification XXXXX dark creature. I can assure you that you will spending a very long time in Azkaban."

"He's not even a dark creature," Harry managed to grind out.

"He's dark enough," Proudfoot insisted. He turned back to Severus Snape. "And you, Professor Severus Snape, have been charged with trespassing, assault, performing dark magic and causing a public scare, and for brewing an unknown, potentially dangerous concoction. You will be spending just as long in Azkaban where you can get even more acquainted with the Boy-Who-Lived. That is what you wanted isn't it? But first, the Department of Mysteries has asked for your presence for . . . testing. Coming back from the dead is quite a feat, don't you think? I'm sure you'll love . . . explaining just how you did it to the Unspeakables."

Severus glared at Proudfoot, struggling slightly under the Auror who had him pinned.

Proudfoot smiled maliciously before looking over at Sam. He strode over to the fox with a hard look, kneeling just before the trapped animal. Sam growled, fighting against the ropes tightening around his muzzle. Sam's fur ruffled in the wind, making him appear bigger and angrier.

"You," Proudfoot snarled at Sam. The man held up his dismembered left arm, showing the ragged scar left where his hand should be. "You see this? Your little friends did this to me. I don't know what you call those things, but I'm pleased to let you know that I ended their lives swiftly."

Sam snarled even more, trying to push the Auror lying on top of him off. The man pushed down harder with his torso to keep Sam immobilized.

"Yes, an Unforgivable it's called," Proudfoot smirked. "You know, you are a hard beast to capture. And funny thing – I learned from the Japanese Ministry that you are a Beast and a Being – depending on what form you decide to take. Isn't that just hilarious?" Proudfoot let out a hearty laugh.

Harry frowned, wondering what Proudfoot was getting out. Even through the loud wind, he could clearly make out what Proudfoot was saying. He struggled to throw off the Auror retraining him to get over to Sam. He had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"You know what that means?" Proudfoot continued, grabbing Sam's jaw in a tight grip and making the fox look at him. "It means you're not the dimwitted, loyal mutt we all thought. No, you – you are an intelligent creature and you understand every word I'm saying. Can you talk? Anyone answer me, can he talk?"

Proudfoot looked at Harry and Severus as if expecting them to answer him.

"It doesn't matter. I just wanted to thank you for all the trouble you've caused – burning my friends and co-workers, attacking me in the office, and for having your little friends do this." Proudfoot held up his arm again. "My, but it must have angered you so. Seeing one die. You tore Wilson apart in that house for it."

Harry figured Wilson was the Auror that killed one of the weasels after they had attacked Proudfoot. Harry struggled more against the Auror as Proudfoot let go of Sam's jaw and pointed his wand at Sam. The wind had picked up in strength and the Auror seemed to be struggling to stay on Harry, which Harry tried to take advantage of to throw him off. The Auror fell back and Harry pushed off the ground only to be pinned back down by the same Auror.

"Not so big and bad now, are you, foxy?" Proudfoot spoke over the roar of the wind, standing up, keeping his wand on Proudfoot. Sam shook his head and moved his jaws in an attempt to break the rope. "I'll have to show you how appreciative I am for all the things you've done."

"No!" Harry screamed. "Leave him alone! Sam!"

Sam growled as he fought to open his mouth, the rope magically tightening more. Harry knew that if Sam could just open his mouth, he could breath a flame or spit out a fireball and stop Proudfoot. He knew that with the cutting ropes Sam couldn't mist away or the ropes might cut through his mist form, which could kill him. As ghost-like as Sam was in mist, anything magically could still latch on to his mist, especially items made to catch magical creatures.

"Avada –" Proudfoot began.

"No!" Harry screamed once more.

Whip! Slam!

A huge gust of wind caused a large slack of roof tiling to smash into Proudfoot, throwing him aside. Harry froze as he watched more roofing break off the Shrieking Shack and fly around. The wind's force was at a category five hurricane strength now. The Aurors fell over – freeing everyone from their captors.

Harry pushed himself up and attacked the Auror, snatching the wand away and hitting the man with a stunner. He looked over at Severus who managed to stand and disarm Aurors near him, then stunning them. He looked over at Sam, who remained lying on the ground even though the Aurors had rolled away with the wind. The ropes.

"Sam!" Harry ran over to his friend, falling at Sam's side. He lacerated the ropes with a spell and cradled Sam's head, Severus coming to stand at his side. Sam's muzzle and carpi had severe rope burns. Sam didn't move as Harry adjusted his head. Blood dripped slowly from Sam's mouth. Sam's snout was swollen and bloody. His breathing sounded chocked and raspy.

"The rope cut into his sinus cavity," Severus said from above him. "And into the muscle around his jaws. He can't breathe well, Harry."

"It's okay, Sam," Harry whispered softly. "You'll be fine."

A large tree came rolling at them, the wind forcing it along.

"Duck!" Severus yelled as he conjured a shield around them, leaning over Harry protectively. Harry held Sam close as the tree crashed into Severus's shield, crushing it and nearly crushing the three beneath it. Luckily, the wind pushed it along and it rolled over the shield and continued tumbling in the wind as if it was a tumbleweed. Severus kept the shield up with wandless magic as he pointed the wand at his horribly cracked nose.

"Episkey."

His nose snapped back in place with a crack and Severus hissed. His face was still a bit blood stained but at least he could breathe through his nose once more.

"What is going on?" Harry asked. "Why is the wind so powerful?"

Severus said nothing, merely turned Harry's head to the right. Harry's eyes widened.

A large tornado, about a fourth a mile wide, was twirling their way, several smaller ones leading it, all of them destroying everything in their path. The Aurors around them were taking cover in the Shrieking Shack, probably heading for the tunnel. A few Aurors were clinging to trees and holding on for dear life, while a couple unlucky ones flew by Severus and Harry screaming. The Shrieking Shack was slowly being torn apart, as was the Hogsmeade village nearby.

"Where did that come from?"

"That's the wishing potion, Harry. Remember when you made that wish for the chocolate frog? A vortex appeared to create it? It's the same concept, but instead of creating – it's destroying!"

"Why? Isn't it just supposed to take us back to the alternate world!?" It was hard to talk over the roaring and rumbling sounds the tornadoes made.

"Yes, but I believe it has to destroy this one to do that! Remember what Albus said – two alternate worlds cannot coexist at the same time. And, if I'm guessing your wish correctly, technically, the events that occurred here will have never happened when we get back. It's erasing what's happened, turning back time, and destroying all these events."

"So, what do we do?"

"Honestly? I have no idea!"

Sam began snarling and a spell shattered Severus's shield completely. Harry and Severus looked over at Proudfoot. The man was bleeding from a large gash in his head, but he pointed his wand at them and moved forward with purpose.

"I guess avoid being killed," Severus said, lifting his own wand at Proudfoot.

"Really?" Harry snapped. "He's going to do this now? Can't he see the huge monster twisters rolling this way?"

Sam managed to push away from Harry, standing on wobbly feet for a moment to catch his balance. He turned and snarled at Proudfoot. Harry stood as well, fighting to keep his balance against the wind, and turned his wand on Proudfoot. Then, he had to duck as part of a wooden fence flew over his head. This was dangerous. Proudfoot truly was desperate to end all three of their lives.

Proudfoot wordlessly fired a spell that glowed green. The Killing Curse, and it flew towards Severus, who managed to dodge it and fire a disarming spell at Proudfoot, who side stepped it. A window frame from the shrieking shack smashed into the ground between them, sending glass shards everywhere. Everyone turned to cover their faces and Sam used the distraction to leap over the shattered mess, tails aflame, and land on Proudfoot, knocking the man down.

Sam latched on to the man's arm and thrashed around, forcing him to drop his wand. Sam let go and dove for the face, which Proudfoot wisely covered with his hands. Sam ripped at the man's hands while Severus inched closer, trying to push against the wind's resistance. Harry tried to follow, each step taking a great deal amount of energy. More objects flew around them, more screams filled the air. The vortexes were close now and soon Harry knew they all would be flying if they didn't find cover.

Proudfoot found a large broken stake and beat down on Sam's head. The fox yelped and backed away, shaking the pain away. He flicked his fiery tails at Proudfoot and growled when a gust of wind blew aggressively at Sam, causing the fire from his tails to jump and spread to the rest of Sam's body.

Harry watched wide-eyed as Sam screamed and spun around in a burning flame, his body quickly burning to ash and blowing away with the wind. Even on the windiest days, Harry had never seen something like that happen to Sam – didn't even know it was possible. Harry forgot how to move as he stared at where Sam had been. Severus grabbed Harry and pulled him near the trees, where the man was clinging to a thinner one.

"Do not use any fire related spells, Harry," Severus warned, looking just as shocked as Harry.

And coincidentally, a spell exploded in flames on the tree Harry had grabbed on to. Harry screamed and fell backwards. Severus stepped out from behind his tree and pointed his wand at Proudfoot.

"Sectumsempra!" Severus yelled.

Proudfoot screamed and fell over as the spell hit his leg, causing lashes to appear. Severus kneeled next to Harry.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Harry nodded, "I think so. Look out!"

Harry pushed Severus over as a spell flew over them both and blasted into a tree, slicing the large truck in half. The majority of the tree, the upper half, slowly came crashing down to the ground.

"Go!" Severus shoved Harry and rolled away. "Move!"

Harry rolled in the opposite direction, narrowly missing the tree as it hit the ground, shaking the earth and knocking Harry back down when he had tried to stand. His glasses fell off and he heard the lenses crack. Swearing he felt around for his glasses and then put them back on.

He could see Proudfoot struggling to stand to his feet, fighting the wind, a bloody piece of his own ripped off robe wrapped around his leg. Harry lifted the wand he had snatched earlier.

"Incarcerous!"

Due to the wind, the ropes flew past Proudfoot, who zombie walked his way toward Harry with a crazy-eyed expression, his face tight and angry.

"Expulso!" Severus shouted, stepping between Harry and the slowly approaching Proudfoot. The spell hit Proudfoot squarely and sent him flying back and then flying with the wind, crashing into the shrieking shack. Severus pulled Harry to his feet. More trees came crasing down as the tornadoes ripped out their roots.

"We need to move!" Severus said. "It's not safe here!"

Severus dragged Harry behind him and out of the trees, running back for the Shrieking Shack, which was barely nothing now. If they could get to the tunnel, they may have a chance of escaping the tornadoes that were just feet away. As they neared the shack, the chimney suddenly ripped off and a huge cloud of ash exploded from it. The cloud of ash flew in the wind and seemed to spark with a bit of fire.

The ash flew directly at Severus, who pushed Harry and turned away, covering his face. Harry fell to the ground, but some ash grazed his leg and burned him where it touched. He looked up at Severus, but all he could see was the ash cloud flying past. When the cloud flew away and through the air, Severus was gone.

Harry's mouth fell open!

"Dad! No!"

Had what happened to Sam happened to Severus? Had the man been burned to ashes by the flaming ash? The cloud of ash was flying back at him now. Harry scrambled to his feet and ran to the Shrieking Shack. He pushed himself up against the building (what remained of it) as the ash cloud flew by harmlessly. Harry breathed heavily.

Then a blasting spell exploded near his head, blasting a hole in the building, whch crumbled away with the wind. He looked over at Proudfoot. The man was a bleeding mess everywhere, but he looked murderous and determined. He limped towards Harry in that zombie manner.

"I'm not finished with you, Potter! I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!"

"Merlin," Harry shouted back. "You're like Michael Myers, would you just die already!"

Harry leaped out of the way of another spell, the Killing Curse it looked like, and lifted the wand he had.

"Expulso!" he tried.

The wind was still too powerful and threw his aim off completely. The spell flew past Proudfoot, who fired the Killing Curse wordlessly, pointing his wand and nearly hitting Harry. The man seemed to know how to aim in the storm. The tornadoes were surrounding the shrieking shack now, and Harry felt his feet leave the earth before dropping back down. He clung to some support structure. Another Killing Curse blasted near him, hitting just above his head, blasting off some of the structure he was holding on to.

"Reducto!" Harry tried again, trying to move his wand a little off Proudfoot, hoping the wind would bow it at the man. The spell was way off and came no where near Proudfoot, who fired an unknown spell at Harry.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry tried again, aiming it near the side of Proudfoot. The spell nearly hit the man, who fell to the ground to avoid being hit. He was getting closer to Harry now and fired another spell Harry didn't recognize, one that struck near Harry's feet. The backlash of the spell burned Harry's ankles. He hissed in pain. Proudfoot struggled to stand back up.

Harry had one last good shot. He could feel himself being pulled with the wind and he wrapped his arms and legs around the support structure which still stood its ground. But Harry could feel the structure trembling and cracking, ready to break apart and fly. He pointed his wand at Proudfoot, aiming it at the man's arm.

"Sectumsempra!" Harry shouted.

The spell flew through the wind, being pushed over just enough that it hit Proudfoot squarely in the chest. The man fell back to the ground, gasping as he was slashed across the chest, blood leaving his body at an even faster rate than it had been before. Color faded from the man's eyes.

The support structure gave and Harry flew through the air with it. He tried to hold on to it, hoping it's weight would keep him low to the ground. It didn't. Instead, he was sucked into the largest of the tornadoes. It was nothing like flying on a broomstick. Nothing like flying with his father. He tumbled through the wind, flipping and spinning. The structure hit a tree and snapped in half, leaving Harry with just the upper half to cling to with his bare hands, his legs flying outstretched now. He was tossed and thrown with the wind.

Then something hard hit his head, his neck cracked, and everything went black.


	16. Home

Harry's eyes snapped open and he gasped for breath, sitting up on his bed and looking at his surroundings. He was in his room – wait, in his room? At Hogwarts? He remembered hitting his head and gently reached back to touch it. Nothing. No pain. No blood. And he was back home. Back in the Second Chances Reality.

The wishing potion had worked.

He was home!

He was fifteen again – just fifteen, not twenty-one anymore with teenage hormones.

Which meant . . .

"Dad!" Harry called, jumping off his bed and running out of his room. "Dad!"

He found Severus sitting in the living room in a chair, rubbing at his head. When Harry came running to him, he stood. Harry wrapped his arms around Severus and squeezed tightly, glad that his father was unharmed.

"It worked!" Harry cried. "It worked! We did it! And it worked!"

Harry became aware that Severus wasn't even hugging him back. Instead, the man seemed tense and he gripped Harry's shoulders and pushed him back, keeping him at that distance.

"Excuse me? What are you talking about – what worked?"

"The potion – my wish – wish that . . ."

Harry suddenly remembered the details of his wish. _"I wish that, in the Second Chances Reality, I never told my father, Severus Snape, about the original universe."_ So, as Severus had told him as the vortexes were destroying everything, the events that took place there had never happened now. He had never told his father about the alternate world. And he never would again. That meant that Severus, nor Sam, knew or remembered anything that had happened. And if he tried to remind them or make them remember, he would be practically telling Severus about the alternate reality and starting the whole mess over again.

He wouldn't do that. He was just so happy to be back where he belonged. He pushed his father's hands away and hugged the man again, laying his head on Severus's chest.

"Nothing, Dad. I just wanted to say that I love you and I never want to lose you." _Again_ , Harry thought. "I'm really sorry for what I said. I don't hate you. I'm really sorry."

Severus pushed Harry back again.

"Son," Severus took Harry's chin and held it up. "I want you to be completely honest with me."

"Yes, yes, anything! What?"

"Have you been drinking?"

"What? No!"

"Drugs? Some kind of potion? Maybe you were slipped something at dinner."

"Dad, no, I'm fine! I didn't do anything and no ones done anything to me. I just had a . . . reality check is all. Time to reflect."

"In . . ." Severus looked at his watch, "two minutes?"

That had been it in this world? Days of running, hiding, fighting, and two minutes pass here?

"A lot can happen in two minutes, Dad. Now can you just hug me back?"

Severus snorted, not sure if he should be concerned and perform some diagnostic test or trust Harry's word that he was fine. Teenagers. He just didn't understand them like he thought he did. Severus wrapped his arms around his son and pulled him close.

"Very well," Severus smiled. "But just because you have reflected and realized that everything you said earlier was wrong doesn't mean you're not going to your detention."

Ah, yes, that unfair detention with Umbridge for forgetting his homework, though she accused him of never having done it and lying that it was complete just forgotten. Not that it mattered one bit anymore.

"I know," Harry agreed. "I'll go to the detention. I'll do whatever she says."

"Alright, now I know something's definitely wrong with you." Severus pushed Harry back and felt his head and cheeks. "Are you sure you're feeling well?"

Harry groaned. Honestly, he wasn't acting that crazy – at least not after everything he's been through.

"I'm sure. I feel fine. You don't have to check me over! Dad, stop!" Harry pulled away as his father began peering into his eyes and feeling around his face and throat.

Severus crossed his arms annoyed though he gave Harry a look of concern and suspicion.

"I swear I'm okay," Harry insisted. "I just . . ."

Harry remembered everything he had put everyone through with his stupid tantrum. He had been selfish and uncaring, after everything both Severus and Sam had done for him. He had gone and nearly destroyed this world permanently. It was overwhelming to know how close it had ended and how nice it was to be back. He sighed and tried to keep himself together and not start crying. Then his father would surely ship him off to St. Mungo's.

"I feel really bad for telling you . . ." _Everything that nearly destroyed us,_ Harry thought, _and,_ "that I hated you and all. I don't, really! I was acting like an ungrateful brat earlier and thinking about myself. You must think I'm the worst son ever, after everything you do for me."

Severus stepped closer and Harry resisted backing away. He realized he was back to his fifteen-year-old size, nearly a whole foot shorter than his father. It made him feel small and he hoped he had another growth spurt soon so he could be as tall as he was back in the other reality. But anyway, if Severus wanted to punish him, he would take whatever punishment was given.

Instead, Harry was surprised to find his father's arms around him. He rested his head against Severus's chest contently.

"I don't think that at all, Severus said, giving his son a warm squeeze and a kiss on the top of his head. "No, you were just angry. You are the best son anyone could ask for."

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you, too, Harry."

 _: What's with all the sentimentalities in here?_

Harry looked down at the wolf-sized red fox starring up at them, his ears perked up, one ear slightly flopped over.

"Sam!" Harry dropped down and wrapped his arms around the fox's neck.

 _: Okay,_ Sam's ears fell flat on his head and he looked up at Severus, who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Teenage dramatics," the man said in a suggestive tone.

Harry snorted and released Sam, patting the fox's head and scratching behind an ear, which Sam leaned into appreciatively.

 _: Well, I'm glad everyone's not in an angry mood. I could sense that earlier. How quickly moods change._

"Right," Harry agreed, smiling at the fox.

If only they all knew. Or at least remembered.

* * *

The next morning, Harry made his way to the Headmaster's office after receiving a note to meet Albus before morning classes. The detention hadn't been bad, just writing lines stating that he must not tell lies. Umbridge did threaten to use a blood quill. Harry gave the password and hurried up the stairs to the office. He definitely didn't want to be late for Professor McGonagall's class.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" Harry asked as he entered the office and stood in front of Albus's desk where the man was sitting.

"Ah, yes, have a seat, Harry," Albus smiled.

Harry sat down, unsure what Albus wanted to talk to him about. He hoped he wasn't in trouble of any sort.

"Am I in trouble, sir?"

"Oh no, no, dear boy, no trouble," Albus waved his hand dismissively. "I wanted to talk about what happened last night. Or in your case, what happened days ago. I am curious to know about what happened."

He knew! How did the man know? But Albus did create the Second Chances Reality. He probably knew everything that went on or felt a disturbance in the world. But how did he know that Harry was the cause of it?

"I, uhh," Harry stammered. "How did you even know? I thought two realities couldn't exist at one time."

"They cannot," Albus answered, "but that doesn't mean the reality ends. It just doesn't exist time wise when you are in another dimension. Time continues on, but some things in this world changed dramatically. Events changed, I had new memories of you and your father dying in a tragic fire caused by a potions explosion with an unknown reason. I even attended your funeral, as did your uncles, aunts, and several other relations. Of course, all of that is forgotten by everyone as it never happened now."

"Oh," Harry frowned. So that was how the reality here took care of their losses. "And Sam's absence?"

"The fox was only loyal to your family, Harry. Many assumed that if he didn't die in the explosion, he simply left and returned home in Japan."

"Oh. So now no one remembers those events."

"Not a soul but myself. But you remember what led to those events having to happen."

"Right. Well, it was an accident. I didn't mean to tell my father about the other world – it just kind of slipped. And then we all found ourselves and worked together to create the Wishing Potion and I was made out to be a criminal because of it. I was even taken to Azkaban, but Sam and Severus broke me out and . . . merlin, it is such a long story."

"I'm sure you could share all the details in a few tea sessions with me," Albus smiled. "I am very curious to hear your story."

 _: As am I._

Sam suddenly appeared laying on Albus's desk, cat sized. Damn camouflage illusions, Harry growled in his head.

 _: What an adventure it seems I've missed in the old world_ , Sam smirked, tilting his head, his ears flopping. _Memory wise, anyway._

"Trust me, Sam," Harry smiled. "You were a huge help."

 _: What would you do without me?_

"Probably would have died several times," Harry answered honestly. Sam laughed. Harry smiled then looked at Albus, asking, "What I don't get is why the wish took so long to take action. It was so immediate with the chocolate frog. I mean, I know it had to destroy all the events, but . . ." Harry trailed off.

"It destroyed more than just those events, Harry. It had to destroy an entire world. Life continued on for everyone, Harry, not just the ones surrounding you. The choices we make have the biggest impact on our future; even choices as little as the words we say. We can accomplish great things with our choices. Or we can destroy ourselves, our lives, with bad decisions. As you've learned yourself."

"Yes, sir," Harry nodded.

"So, the vortex had to destroy all the events that happened worldwide. Think of Sam for example. He had no sister in that world. Events that happened around that time did not happen here. People who existed at that time may not exist here. A lot could have happened in Japan influenced by Sam himself, but those events no longer happened. From what it sounds like, the wizarding community was frightened by what you were doing and the Aurors hunted you. People developed opinions of you, you may have injured or even killed people, as did Sam and Severus. Now, none of that ever happened. People's opinions had to be changed, lives had to be restored and pushed back to where you died of alcohol consumption. Everyone had to start over."

"Wow," Harry blinked. "I never really thought of that."

"I would like to hear from you that you will try your hardest to avoid repeating this mistake. Remember, things never play out the same way twice. You might not be so lucky should this happen again."

"Yes, sir."

"You are dismissed."

Harry left the office with Sam at his heels.

 _: You'll have to share every detail with me. It's got me thinking – I was murdered in that reality by strangulation – hung by those humans in Suicide Forest. How would I have even escaped? That doesn't seem right. I was with you, you said? Hmm, perhaps . . .  
_ "Don't worry, Sam," Harry smiled. "I'll share everything I know. You escaped out of that situation, but all you told me was that you were resourceful. You never really went into detail."

 _: Chikusho!_ Sam snapped. _I wasn't resourceful enough to explain how I escaped for future reference._

Harry smirked. He had learned that that particular word was similar to saying 'damn.' Harry was sure Sam would never need to know how he had escaped. Harry was determined to never reveal the alternate world to anyone who didn't know of it.

Not ever again.

* * *

The End! Wow, thank you all for joining me on this incredible journey! This side story has been so much fun and so intense! You are all great supporters and reviewers. I hope you had as much fun with this story as I did. And remember, if you have any ideas for side stories, one-shots, or even a whole new idea itself – I am open to anything at this point! Writing for you has helped me learn and grow and I hope to continue to do so.

Thanks again!


End file.
